A Snake in the Nest
by Kyprish Prophetess
Summary: Sequal to A Twist Is History. Cooro, Husky, Nana, and Senri find themselves attending Hogwarts, where they meet the Boy Who LIved, the Girl Who Thought and The Boy Who Plays Chess.
1. Chapter 1

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter One**

****** PLEASE READ THIS!******

**A.N. **This is a continuation of A Twist is History. If you haven't read it, don't read this; very little will make sense. As to returning readers, I apologize that this is a bit late, but I had other matters to deal with.

**Disclaimer: **I will only say this once: I do _not _own anything besides some plot and a few OCs.

To say the summer was dull was a gross understatement. Harry had had absolutely no contact with the Wizarding World since he got off the train, and though it had only been two weeks, it felt to him as though his friends had all forgotten him.

"_Potter!"_ Vernon Dursley's voice echoed through the house, reverberating around Harry's room as he trudged down the stairs to where the man sat on the couch, glaring. In one hand, he held a letter, and Harry was abruptly reminded that the last time a letter was involved with his uncle's anger, they'd hidden away on a rock in the sea.

"A letter. Delivered this morning by the post." He was curt, and handed the letter over as though it would bite him if he held it a moment longer. When Harry got a look at it, he could see why.

It was parchment, with a wax seal and a quill's obvious hand in the writing. To his uncle, it was obviously wizard post. But if it came by regular mail…

Yes, there was a stamp, and return address, written as neatly as his address was. The stamp was from London.

"That is quite obviously mail from… your school. If they could simply send them by post, why didn't they before?" Harry wasn't exactly sure what his uncle was angry about. Perhaps simply that he was receiving mail, an obvious sign that someone knew he existed and actually _liked_ him was enough to annoy him.

"I dunno, maybe it's not the school." He wanted desperately to escape to his room and read the letter. The handwriting wasn't immediately familiar, but he wouldn't care if it was Malfoy at this point.

Vernon glares at him a moment more, but shoos him off to his room again and turns to the rest of the post, a newspaper already in hand by the time Harry leaves the room. He feels the letter as he walks. It is thick, and not just because it is parchment. There is more here than a school letter.

Reaching his room takes forever, as he is trying to hide his excitement at having something from the Wizarding World. As he sits on the bed, he drinks in the writing, the curls and lines striking somewhere in his memory but leaving him unsure where.

The seal is no help, either. It is red wax, with no embellishments hinting at its origin. Finally, he looks at the address, but it is unfamiliar. It might be written on the list of addresses handed out at the end of the ride home, but he hasn't had the chance to write anything and subsequently hasn't looked the list over thoroughly.

He opens the envelope, carefully breaking the seal. Several papers fall out, one plain piece of parchment and quite a few sealed letters, with various handwritings.

Picking up the plain one, Harry lets his eyes look over the writing that fills it.

_Dear Harry,_

_When you said your aunt and uncle were disapproving of magic, I didn't think it would be as bad as that! Did you see that he was glaring at Remus the whole time we were walking out?_

_Were you embarrassed, or something? You haven't been answering any of your letters! Ron, Hermione and Neville are in a right state, as they think you've managed to get yourself killed within a few short days._

_It's not as if any of us aren't used to odd looks, you know. _

_Anyway, we've all talked, and wanted to know if you would be able to visit next month. Hermione will be on vacation, but the others should be able to come. _

_Send your response by owl if you can, but as you haven't answered any owl mail, perhaps using Muggle mail would be better. The address is on the envelope._

_The other letters here are from Ron, Hermione and Neville, all of whom would appreciate a response._

_Sincerely,_

_Nana_

_P.S. Cooro wanted to write a letter as well, but he was taking too long and we wanted to get the letter out today._

Harry reread the letter seven times before moving on to the other letters. There were two from everyone, the first filled with random things and the second asking why he wasn't responding. Ron asked about his Muggle relatives, Neville about the homework, Hermione about his summer. But the simple fact that they'd written was enough.

Quickly, he sat down and began to write out responses.

Cooro sat perfectly still, looking forward at the two wizards before him. Remus was next to him, and in a similar position.

They were in the Ministry. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Unknown Magics. Dumbledore had pulled as many strings as he could, and now they were registering the four +Anima in this department. They would be prone to unannounced visits for the first few years of so to ensure they weren't misusing their abilities, but that was all they had to worry about. Remus had said that it would be rather like being an Animagaus.

"So, you can grow crow wings. And that is it?" The older wizard looked at him with piercing eyes, watching his expression carefully.

"Yes sir. Well, my arms grow feathers as well, but that's it." The man nodded while his counterpart, a younger man that was probably an intern, wrote something on a parchment.

"And this girl, Nana, she can…?"

"Grow bat wings and long ears, Sir. She can also send out ultrasonic cries that are capable of knocking out a person, but she has to be fairly close and only on one or two at a time." The younger man raised his eyebrows, but didn't say a word, continuing to write.

"And Husky?" Cooro wondered if he was being asked to be sure that they weren't lying, or if they simply hadn't been paying attention when they'd came last week.

"He has a tail and a set of gills." Before the man could ask, he continued. "Senri only has a bear's claw, sprouting from his right arm. And we all have markings, wherever the anima appears. They're always visible, regardless of whether we're using it or not."

Neither of the men said a word, and for a moment there was only silence as the quill scratched on the parchment. Finally, the elder stood up.

"Well, that's all we needed. You're free to go. Expect us… well, actually, don't expect us. It's better if you don't, really." Stifling a chuckle at his serious expression, Cooro and Remus left the office. The younger man was watching them as they left.

Harry slept soundly, a trait he'd acquired from sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs, where every sound was magnified by ten.

So he didn't hear the very quiet sounds of a cat rummaging through the bushes outside, nor the tree branches scraping on the window.

And he certainly didn't hear the very faint sounds of a creature in immense pain as it slammed it's head into the back door, whimpering that it had failed.

Instead, he dreamt of Hogwarts, his friends, and a letter from a group of strange friends.

The friends shifted, morphing until they were a tall figure in a black cloak who yelled a curse that flashed green. There was pain and screaming and light and then…

Nothing.

Harry awoke to bright sun streaming through the curtains, and a voice calling from the same direction. Opening his eyes, he looked over to see what it was, pulling his glasses on as he moved.

Reaching the window, he pulled the curtains back to find an excited face poking in, brown eyes sparkling madly.

"Cooro…?" The boy in question grinned happily, slipping into the room as Harry half-fell back in surprise.

"Harry! We came to visit!" Harry stared at his friend, taking in his appearance. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, a change from the Hogwarts robes and his red and yellow shirt he otherwise wore.

"We?" Cooro looked at him like he was crazy, before spreading his arms (thankfully without the wings that usually accompanied them) and exclaiming loudly:

"Of course we! Nana and Husky and Senri are all here. Remus too." Harry blinked. Once. Twice. After a third time, he panicked, and began rushing around the room, looking for clothes and muttering to himself. Cooro laughed.

Vernon Dursley did not enjoy anything out of the ordinary. Especially on his day off. So when the doorbell rang, he was hoping it was simply the milkman.

It was not.

He supposed it hadn't really occurred to him that when Harry asked to spend a few days at a friend of his, that friend would be showing up to get him.

He almost hadn't agreed to it. The boy's happiness was something he'd struggled against for several years, and letting him visit someone was definitely on the list of 'Things that Will Make Him Happy.'

But the prospect of losing him for the week was far too much to resist.

So now here he was, looking at one Remus Lupin, sitting on his couch, with three other children (though one looked to be nearly full-grown) sitting next to him. Harry had come down, with a fourth, to his confusion, and sat on the loveseat.

"Good morning. I'm Remus Lupin. This is Nana, Husky and Senri. We came to pick up Harry Potter for the week." That was all he'd said, and when Vernon realized that the boy was still asleep, he'd grudgingly invited them into the living room and gone upstairs to wake Harry.

Only to find him and the last kid, a boy with messy brown hair, coming down, a packed bag over his shoulder.

And now they sat in the living room, and Vernon sighed a bit, annoyed that he would have to do this at all, let alone on his day off.

"So, how long will you have him?" Remus looked at him oddly, the same look he'd given him at the train station.

"Only a week, I'm afraid. I have… somewhere to be after that, so we can't keep him any longer."

"… I see. And do I need to…"

"I can bring him home, don't worry about it." He leaned forward.

"Here's my phone number. Call if you need to talk to Harry. Now, I hate to be rude, but we'd best be off." He stood, and the horde of children got up as well. Harry paused.

"Oh! Erm, Uncle Vernon…" He looked nervous, which was never a good sign.

"What?"

"Can I get my school things out of the closet before I leave?" Vernon twitched a bit, waited a moment, then nodded curtly.

Twelve minutes later, Harry had his trunk packed up, with only a minor incident of falling above-head objects. He dragged it out, stowing it in the boot of Remus' truck before clambering into the back and settling between Husky and Nana. Grinning cheekily, he waved goodbye as they drove away from Privet Drive. He wouldn't have to deal with them for a week! One of Ron's letters invited him to stay from a bit after his birthday to September first, but he wasn't sure if he could count on that happening, so he would savor this bit of freedom until then.

_A picture is worth a thousand words, _Sirius thought irritably for the seventh time that morning. If that was true, then why couldn't they speak? Was it only paintings that received that luxury?

He waved and grinned again as Harry looked in at them, a face floating in the wall of the wedding. He'd only ever seen him here; Harry hadn't ever seen any of his school pictures. Even when he looked in, he only had eyes for his parents.

The book closed, and he sighed, sitting down. He thought of what he remembered today. He could access the real Sirius' memories, but there hadn't been anything new in nearly eleven years. He wasn't really Sirius anymore.

Not that he himself was, either. Simply a snapshot of time, preserved as a memory of better days. Meanwhile he knew in real life what had happened after. Peter's betrayal, the explosions. Azkaban. He wished he was a mindlessly moving piece of paper instead.

There was silence here. No sounds could come out. It drove him mad! There used to be a theory that when a snapshot was taken, a bit of that person's soul was trapped inside. When the wizards had found a way to make them move, Sirius believed it actually did.

Not that it mattered. Real people didn't know of this silent world's existence; whenever someone looked at a photo, the occupants went back to what they'd been doing at the time, regardless of what they'd wanted to do.

Sirius flashed his mind to other photos of himself, wondering if anything more interesting was happening.

There were only a few to look at; most photos of himself had been destroyed after the betrayal. A few lay in old newspapers, boxes of old things that the owners hadn't cleaned in years. Several were in one box that lay in the top of a closet nearby.

As he sat in the sun of their seventh year, under the beech tree, the box shifted, shaking the contents and allowing a moments worth of light illuminate the inside. Then it was gone, and he sighed, shifting back to the wedding.

It was the last happy picture of all of them. Peter wasn't there; he'd been in another picture at the time. He wasn't ever really there; his body went through the motions of that day, but there was no mind. When the viewer left again, he simply fell to the ground. Sirius supposed he spent his time elsewhere, either following the real Pettigrew or in a picture with people that didn't know what he had done.

Because the people in photos knew the secrets that the real world didn't.

Maybe _that _was why they were silent; to keep the real world away from discovering the truth.

James stood in front of him now, gesturing for him to stand. They'd tried to learn to sign, or lip-read even, but it was only in it's base form right now. He stood, raising a brow in question. James simply grinned and shoved him in another direction.

He stumbled into Moony, who laughs, yanking him into a dance around the room. The other people there are joining in, James and Lily laughing as they lead it. It is messy and it is chaos and it is exactly what he needed to feel better.

He spots the Dursleys in the back, both looking annoyed and awkward and a bit envious all in one. This was their only picture, so they spent most of their time in the real world, watching their son grow up.

With one hand still holding Remus' shoulder, he gestures at them, trying to coax them to join. In the fourteen years he's been in this picture, he's learned that even they could be alright, despite their abhorrence of anything different.

Haughtily, as though it was almost beneath them, the couple joins in, and now everyone is spinning through the room, a moment of happiness in their small place in the world.

Sirius continues to dance, and they switch partners. Now he has Lily, who smiles up at him. She had been the first to forgive him of his crime, coaxing him to write of what had happened on scraps of paper with conjured ink. The explanation spread, as knowledge was prone to in the world, through photos and pictures and so on until everyone knew what had really happened.

It was a small blessing, being forgiven.

They switched again, and he was with Remus, whose face was slightly flushed.

Most of the people in the photo were dead. From what he could gather, once they were dead, they could leave anytime. Plenty from the war chose not to, preferring to stay in the places where their friends were still accessible, even if no words could be spoken.

The dancers continued their frenzied movements, and Sirius let himself forget everything that had happened, simply reveling in the feeling of the dance, of the joy he'd felt watching his two best friends get married.

In the back of his mind, where the real Sirius's thoughts and feelings resided, a lone dog howled pitifully out the window of it's cell, high in a half-forgotten tower.

_Well, here it is, beginning of the Chamber of Secrets. It's here, specifically because those of you that voted mostly wanted it separate. Don't know why, but you did._


	2. Chapter 2

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Two**

**A.N. **I don't really have anything to say here, so I'll ask a question instead: Who is your favorite HP character? Any character at all (minor ones are preferred, really). I'll keep a note on it and tell you all who won later, if you wish.

Harry was a bit disappointed that they weren't going directly to Remus' house, but cheered up immensely when he realized their errands were in Diagon Alley.

Remus bought them ice-cream while he went into Gringotts quickly, and let them tag along as he bought a few things at a store that Harry had never noticed. He also picked up something at Zonko's, which sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't remember where it was from.

It was just outside Flourish and Blott's that a voice called out to them. Well, two voices, from different directions.

The first was an older man that Harry didn't recognize, though Remus seemed to, as he waved and walked in that direction. The other was far more familiar.

"Harry! What're you doing here?" It was Ron, who was running full tilt at them, not stopping until he very nearly ran into Senri, who stopped him with his arm as he almost toppled over.

"Ah, it's you four. Didn't recognize you in normal clothing…" He looked over them all, grinning like a madman.

"So he's staying there _now?_" There were nods from everyone (Except Cooro, who had followed Remus to talk to the older man a few yards away). Before Ron could get to the point of his enquiry, another voice interrupted.

"Ronald! What are you- Oh, hello, Harry dear. Whatever are you doing here?" Mrs. Weasley came around the corner, arms laden with purchases and Ginny half-hidden behind her skirt. Ginny saw Harry, squeaked slightly, and disappeared entirely.

"I'm staying with Mr. Lupin and them, and he needed to pick up some things." She nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Ah, Remus? Haven't seen him in quite a while…" She looked on down the alley, where the two men and Cooro were still talking.

"Mrs. Weasley? Do you need any help?" Nana was eying the packages in her arms. Molly looked at her in surprise.

"Oh! No, it's quite all right, I've got them…" But Nana continued to frown, and she broke.

"Well, if you could just take these two, I'll be fine… Ron can take them when we leave." Ron looked up from whatever he'd been saying to Harry and Husky, a look of surprise on his face.

"That's what I meant to ask! If it's all right with Mr. Lupin, can I stay with them for a few days?" She abruptly looked flustered, and annoyed. Remus and Cooro made their way back as she began to splutter.

"Oh, no- you couldn't impose on them… Not with all these as well…" Cooro stopped just outside the circle of people, spotting pigeon feathers and deciding that picking them up was more amusing than the current topic.

"It would be fine Molly. I told these four to invite him already; didn't you do that?" HE turned to Husky, and seeing him busy, looked at Nana. She shrugged.

"Cooro sent the letter a few days ago, but whether it got there or not is iffy." She didn't say it out loud, but all the children (and Remus), thought of all the owl-letters that hadn't made it to Harry's. They'd been passing them through Muggle mail, sending them to Remus' home to get to and from the Weasley's, as they didn't get a post man anywhere near their home.

"Oh… well, in that case, of course he can. Until next Saturday, I suppose?" He nodded, and Ron and Harry both wondered how she'd known. They began walking towards the fireplace, with Mrs. Weasley sending Ron ahead, with some packages, to get a bag packed. Ginny followed with the rest, and they sat on the few scattered benches while they waited.

They boys sat on the ground, discussing something in hushed tones. Nana was asking Mrs. Weasley about a recipe she'd found with odd ingredients listed, and Remus listened to the boys plot, wanting to add something but deciding it wouldn't be appropriate.

Not yet, anyway.

There was a crash as Ron came out of the fireplace, followed by the twins, who seemed far more amused by their current situation than was normal.

"Fred! George! What are you two doing?" The three all stood up quickly, Ron yanking himself and the bag over his shoulder away from them.

"Well, Fred and I were-"

"-Sitting innocently in the kitchen when-"

"Ickle Ronnikins came through the fire-"

"Made a right mess of ash-"

"-And wouldn't say what he was up to."

"So we followed him-"

"-And ended up here."

"Then Fred started to explain-" The second twin turned to the first with a groan.

"No, _you're_ Fred, I'm George." The first shook his head.

"I'm quite certain I'm George, Fred." The second was opening his mouth when Mrs. Weasley cut him off.

"_Boys!_ Don't be rude; say hello to Remus." They looked over at him, unhidden glee in their eyes.

"Hello!" Remus looked at them severely, though his eyes twinkled like mad.

"Good morning. Have you sorted out who is who?" Both nodded.

"Yes. You see, this is Gred, and I'm Forge." They said this simultaneously, and proceeded to bow as Remus broke into light chuckles at their antics. Molly looked like she was going to admonish them, but Remus waved her away.

"No, let them have their fun. Now, we should get going. I will see you in a week, I suppose?" Molly nodded, herding the twins towards the fire again, to their infinite protests.

"But _Mum, _how come he gets to go see his friends?" They were cut off as the three of them disappeared into the flames.

Remus laughed a bit, then ushered them towards the brick entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. Ron was fairly interested in the car, though less so when Remus told him that it couldn't fly. About to say something, he cut himself off.

The trip was loud, with all the kids talking and laughing, with Remus looking at them all in the rearview mirror with a smile. It had been a while since he'd felt like joining in a silly plot, and yet here he was, waiting for a good moment to join in.

Sirius glared at the place where the face of the viewer usually appeared. Usually being the key word here; there was no-one there right now. No, the book had fallen open in the trunk, and now all the pictures were repeating their actions a thousand times over. All the pictures in the album.

He slipped into one of the photos in the box, but that had fallen open as well. He stayed where he was anyway; in this one, he and Remus sat on a couch in the Common Room. Lily and James sat in armchairs opposite, and Peter on the floor between them. All were engaged in a game of Exploding Snap. He stayed partially because Peter had caught the brunt of the explosion when the picture had been taken, so he got to watch over and over.

It was a small mercy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX- "Hey! I ain't done here!" Sirius glared at the author, who shrugs and continues to type.

Anyway…

Sirius shifts his attention to above him, where a face is now visible. It is Harry, but he isn't looking at them; he is instead looking over his shoulder, saying something to whoever happened to be there.

His gaze turns to the box, and seems surprised at the mess of pictures. He pulls out a pile, including the one Sirius is sitting in at the moment, all with a look of confusion on his face.

Harry was laughing harder than he thought possible as Ron recounted exactly how the twins had greeted their mother when they'd gotten home.

"… _And then, _they actually pulled out a Hogwarts toilet seat They really had one! Gave it to Ginny and told her not to worry, it was from the girl's lavatory." Remus laughed with them as he served up French onion soup.

Ron had seemed surprised at Remus, as had Harry. Both seemed to think he would be a drag. Cooro couldn't help wondering why they thought that, and tried to get Remus to tell old school stories.

He sidestepped it by getting food and asking about their year. By the time the whole adventure had been recounted, dessert, a simple apple pie, had been eaten and they were being shown their rooms. The huge house had more than enough rooms for them all, so Harry was right across from Ron, next to Husky. Remus warned them to stay away from the door at the end of the hall, then went back downstairs.

Everyone followed Harry into his room instead of going to their own. He'd told them of the album Hagrid had given him, and they wanted to see it.

Ron was asking him why he had his entire trunk, and he turned to answer as his hand felt for the album.

Instead, it ran across an unfamiliar box and, confused, he turned to look. Inside was an open box, contents half-spilled out into his cauldron underneath it, Carefully, he pulls out the pile of pictures that lay near the top.

"What's that?" Cooro is leaning close behind him, looking at the photos.

"Dunno. They must've fallen in when we got it out of the cupboard. Hang on- these are my parents. It's a picture from school." Not they all were crowding around, sitting on the floor as he looks over the photos. Nana pulls the rest from the cauldron and box, along with the album.

Slowly, they are handed around the circle. They show everything in Lily's life, from birth to her wedding, some in moving pictures, some Muggle ones.

The album was both Lily and James, of course, with a few pictures of Harry mixed in. Finally, the photos were all put away in the box, and the rest of the contents were examined.

Two wands, a few books, four nose-biting teacups, a Sneak-o-scope that was cracked almost in half. Half a chess set, four gobstones, three ornaments for a mantle, and a burnt Christmas tree star. A couple pieces of jewelry, some baby clothes and a single letter. Harry pulled it out to read.

_Dear Petunia,_

_I know we've had our differences over the years, and that you want no part in either mine or James' life, but I want to ask you this one thing:_

_Please be my maid of honor. You're my big sister, and though we haven't gotten along in several years, I still love you. Please, do this one thing?_

_Love,_

_Lily soon-to-be-Potter_

There was silence for a long time.

And by long time, I mean about fifteen seconds after the letter was read out loud.

"That's so cool, Harry! Look at all this!" Cooro gestures excitedly to the pile of what seems to be junk. Husky says this out loud, and Cooro actually manages a glare in the midst of his excitement.

"It's not! Look- this is all from their house after it burned." At their strange looks, he shrugs.

"I heard Remus saying it. But really!" He gestures excitedly. "These are so cool! All these pictures of your parents! And a bunch of their stuff I bet you didn't know even existed." Harry looked it all over. It wasn't much, but it was all that was really left of his parents…

"Hey…" They look at Ron, who has pulled out a picture from the pile. It's of James and Lily, along with three other boys tha show up in a bunch of other photos, playing Exploding Snap. The slightly pudgy boy kept having cards explode in his face, and the black-haired one on the couch was laughing loudly.

Next to him sat a brunet that chuckled lightly, but helped the first put out the flames.

"Doesn't he look like Remus?" Harry stared, first at the picture, then at him, then back.

"It is him… which means…"

"He knew your parents back in school." Now there was real silence.

"Oi! Didn't I say for you lot to sleep?" As one, they turn from the photo to where Remus stood in the doorway.

"Hey, Remus! Why didn't you tell Harry you knew his parents?" Remus looked over at them all, startled. Husky speaks up from where he is now lounging against the wall.

"A box of Lily's old school things fell into his trunk when we left. Lot'sa photos in there." Remus groaned a bit, but there was a smile on his face as he did so.

"She went into a photography phase for a while. Wanted pictures of _everything…"_ He sighed.

"Well, you five had better come along, hadn't you?" They follow, and Cooro pipes up again as they walk.

"Don't you mean six?" He looks back, counting as he goes.

"Hey, where's Senri?"

Beautiful roses grow in the bushes outside the house, in a well-tended garden. Senri looks at them carefully, before picking one that has both white and red petals. Pressing it into his book, he begins the walk back to the house, whistling as he goes.

The moon glows behind him, nearly full.

Sirius watches as the various photos in the album and the box are passed from person to person. Harry looks at them all at least twice. Another boy, who looks like Molly's youngest son, is also looking, though he seems more preoccupied with some other thing in his hands than the frame Sirius sits in. He doesn't recognize the other three.

The Weasley boy finally looks down at his scene, and says something to the others. They all crowd in for a look. He tried desperately to read their lips, curiosity getting the better of him.

_It is him… which means…_ Sirius had absolutely no idea what that was supposed to mean, but Ron responds, so he focuses.

_He knew your parents when they were in school._ Who are they talking about? Him? No, none of thse knids know him, or he would recognize them.

Peter? That would make some sense, but they thought he was dead. Somehow, that didn't fit. It sounded like they were speaking of someone they actually knew.

So it was Moony. Didn't he mention having a few kids staying with him? Yeah; something to do with blood magic portals.

Whoever is holding the photo lets it droop and, without someone the light falling on it, he is allowed to move. Peter's body slumps to the ground, like it always does, and Remus conjures letters explaining what's happening.

_I didn't tell Harry I knew Lily and James. I figured it would be easier on him, not knowing all the conspiracies that surrounded their deaths._ It looks like there was going to be more, but now the holder (the girly-looking boy from earlier) is moving, and the process is causing the photo to alternate between it's original scene and relaxed state.

They are set on a table, and Sirius looks up to where he could see their viewer. It is Remus, and the children, though none are looking at him, but talking.

That isn't what grabs his attention, though. No, it is the presence of a three-toed rat on the table, staring right at him.

_Ha! It's all done~_


	3. Chapter 3

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Three**

**A.N. **I noticed that the last two chapters are missing the breakers in between scenes. They're all there in the document, and no amount of resubmitting seems to bring them back. So until I can work it out, it might be hard to read… Tell me if you're having troubles, kay?

On another note, I would really like to hear back from you on the favorite character thing. So far I have two answers.

Remus sat them down around the table, sighing. The photo of them all in the Common Room was face-up on the table, and from the corner of his eye, Remus can see the card game, repeated over and over again while Sirius laughs.

"I suppose you're wondering why I didn't tell you I knew your parents, correct?" He speaks directly to Harry. The three +Anima wonder how it had never come up in conversation before; they'd known for a while.

Harry nods, and Remus sighs. Ron watches them carefully, keeping an eye on Scabbers, who was eying the photo in a worrying fashion.

"I'll start at the beginning, I suppose.

"I met your father on the train ride to Hogwarts. We were in the same dorm, along with Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black." He pointed then out as he spoke, and Harry looked back at the picture once again, taking in the smiling faces.

"Your mother was in our year and house as well. We became friends when I needed notes for some days I'd missed. None of my dorm-mates ever took notes." He smiled a bit as he said this.

"I won't bore you with school stories right now. We graduated from Hogwarts, and immediately joined the war against Voldemort. James and Lily, meanwhile, found the time to get married, and have you.

"When you were born, Harry, your mother went into… retirement, as it were. She helped with healings more than fighting. James slowly pulled back as it became evident that someone was targeting you three.

"We knew there was a traitor, someone who was giving information on your parents' whereabouts. The only people close enough to get that kind of knowledge were myself, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Dumbledore himself.

"We began to mistrust each other. I fell under suspicion because I was on missions for Dumbledore that I was forbidden to speak of. A few I even wiped from my memory to keep it all safe. The others believed I was a Death Eater.

"It came out, though I don't know how, that Voldemort himself was after James and Lily. They performed a charm that puts the secret of their home within a person. As long as that person never says where it is, no-one can ever find it. They are called the Secret-Keeper." Harry stared, transfixed, as Remus spoke. He'd never heard any of this. Ron knew that the war had torn people apart (he'd lost two uncles in it, though he didn't remember them), but this story seemed worse than the norm.

"Sirius Black became their Secret Keeper. And…" he sighed, closing his eyes as if to ward off the memories of the event.

"And on Halloween, James and Lily were killed, and you, Harry, gained your scar and were sent to the Dursley's." Harry's eyes grew round.

"You mean… he was… the traitor?" Remus nodded, now looking at the photo that still lay on the table. Sirius still grinning at the camera-man. (It had been Frank Longbottom)

"Yes. A few days later, while he was running from the Aurors; dark wizard catchers, Harry. Anyway, he was found. Not by the squad hunting him, but by Peter.

"He killed Peter, and blew up the street with thirteen Muggles as casualties. He's in Azkaban now, with a good portion of the family we all thought he had managed to escape from." Remus stared at the picture for a long time, lost in thought, before looking back up, a faint note of pleading in his face.

"I didn't tell you because the was a horrible time. It tore people apart. I didn't feel you should be burdened with it. Besides…" he cracked a small smile.

"I doubt you would be happy knowing someone had a fairly valid claim on adopting you, and left you with the Dursley's." Harry jumped a bit.

"_What?" _Cooro, who had been staring out the window for most of the story, twitched and looked up from the staring contest he'd been having with Senri outside. Senri took this as a win and made his way to the door.

"You mean you could've taken me out of there, and you _didn't?" _He was shocked. He'd grown up thinking no-one cared enough, and now here was this man who did. He obviously didn't mind kids, judging by the four in the house already.

Remus, meanwhile, was trying to hide a smile, seeing Harry act like James for the first time. He was rather mature for his age; more like Lily.

"I said I had a claim, not that I could've. Dumbledore was rather adamant you remain with you aunt and the blood protection. The ministry already dislikes me, because of my pushing for certain pieces of legislation, as well as a few other things, so I had no support anywhere. Added to that, I wasn't in the country for quite a while. I was helping clean out nests of Death Eaters, and traveled as a Curse Breaker for a while." Husky glanced at the door where Senri had slipped in, then over at Remus.

He'd left out that he was a werewolf. Husky caught Remus' eye with a significant glance at the moon outside. In response, Remus nodded slightly at Ron, who was still trying to keep Scabbers away from the photo.

Harry was silent for a long time, mulling over all the information. Dumbledore had said something of the blood protection, he knew, so it made sense. If Dumbledore didn't want something to happen, Harry got the feeling the Ministry wouldn't help whoever opposed him. Finally, he nodded, and Remus sagged with relief.

"Well, that was overlong and depressing. Who would care for a mug of hot chocolate?" All of them looked up at that, eager. He laughed and went to make them.

Nana was watching the photo carefully. The scene repeated over and over, with the cards exploding in Peter's face over and over, but something was strange about their faces. She looked closely at who she assumed was Sirius Black, and finally realized what it was.

Even though he was laughing at the scene, pure mirth on his face, his eyes were… sad. No, more than that… Utterly defeated. Abruptly, they trained themselves on her. Then at Peter, then Scabbers. Then back to her. And again and again. She tried to sort out what they were trying to convey, but it wasn't coming. She shook her head, and he seemed to sigh even as his face turned back to roar with laugher once again. It occurred to her that she was trying to find meaning behind what a picture showed, and scoffed at herself, looking up as hot chocolate was handed around.

Cooro began to lift his mug to his lips, knowing it was already cool enough to drink, then paused. He stood, and as they all turned to look at him, he raised it up in the air.

"I propose a toast. To the real heroes of a war; the ones who never came home." Slowly, everyone raised their mugs as well.

"To the heroes." And they drank. And somehow, that simple action made them all feel just a tiny bit better. Even so, Nana hoped she wouldn't ever have to go through what these people had.

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It was early when Cooro woke up, and he lay still for a while, mulling over what they'd heard last night. Finally, he shook his head. War was complicated; he couldn't imagine anything that would make him doubt his friends.

He got up, heading downstairs to the kitchen. The sun hadn't even risen, and he was using his night vision to make his way through the room. In one hand, he was carrying his famous potion, in the other was a bag of feathers, stones and plants he'd been collecting while they were there. They smelled nice, so he'd taken bits and pieces.

He was walking to the table when a voice from behind him called his name, far too loudly for this early. He jumped wildly, turning around and stumbling into a chair. Too late he realized the potion and plants had smashed and landed on the table, where the photo still lay innocently.

As they hit, the potion reacted to the various things he'd had, turning an odd shade of blue and giving off a nasty fume. Quickly, he went to get a towel, nearly crashing into the owner of the voice, now identified as Husky. He tried to wipe up the potion, wincing as it seemed to congeal on the rag he was using.

He'd gotten most of it when Husky managed to get the lights on, grabbing another rag and helping clean up the rest. The photo was now black, with a streak of color going through now and again. Cooro winced, as did Husky. He looked at it closely, and winced again. There was another picture that they hadn't noticed, stuck to the back. Now they'd never know what it had been. Hopefully unimportant, but still…

"What was that?" Husky asked, looking at Cooro in faint confusion.

"I don't know. My wing potion and some things I've been collecting." He looked at the towels that they both held, wincing as he saw they were nearly solid with the gelatinous mixture.

"Come on, let's get rid of these. I don't think they can be saved." They both left to find a rubbish bin that wouldn't let the stench out if they were there for a while. The photo glowed faintly as the lights were turned off.

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Sirius looked up as the lights went on, before all went dark. Something was spreading, not just on the outside, but _into_ the photo, and he tried to retreat to one upstairs, only to be pulled back as the blue goop clung to his leg. The others seemed in a similar predicament, though he saw that it was ignoring Peter's lifeless body.

The last thing he saw before all was completely extinguished was Remus' scared eyes catching his.

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Sirius shoots up in his bed, blinking into the light in confusion. For a moment, he is confused, before remembering where he is. Azkaban. For a crime he didn't commit. He lays back, remembering his dream.

They'd been in the Common Room, playing Exploding Snap. Peter had the cards blowing in his face, and he was laughing. He remembered in his dream it had felt boring, like he'd seen it all before.

Then, a strange blue goo had oozed in from… somewhere, and it had covered them all. He'd watched as they all were covered with it, and it had all gone dark.

He shook his head. It was just a dream.

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Remus wakes up, wincing at the horrible smell leaking into the room. He sits up, glancing at the corner of the room as he does so. There, in a large box and covered in dust, were the last surviving photos of the Marauders. Harry had some, more than he'd thought Vernon and Petunia would keep, but they mainly featured Lily.

Also within the box are other things he'd never admit to keeping; prototypes of the Marauder's Map, detention slips, notes from pranks and love letters, both sent and hidden. He'd gone through to find some for Harry when he realized he couldn't part with them. He'd sent some to Hagrid, of course, but these… these were the last of the four of them, back before the war ruined them all.

He would show him, though. There was no harm in that. He'd leave out the Animagaus bit for now, though. There were a few things Harry could wait to learn, and his lycanthropy was one of them.

He walked over to the box, and pulled out one of his favorites. It was of Sirius and himself, and in that one they ended up wrestling over a chocolate bar. Lily had to break them up, and that was when the camera had flashed, surprising them all. James had grinned sheepishly at them as he put it away.

When he pulled it out, however, he found that all the occupants were asleep.

Yes, it's shorter than normal, but I want to save some fun for myself in a few days. That, and I want to get this up now, and I can't stay awake anymore.

By the way, the voting so far stands as thus:

Fred/ George: 1

Scabbers (NOT Pettigrew): 1

Luna Lovegood: 1

Thanks to those who voted, and I hope the rest of you will join; I'm still counting!


	4. Chapter 4

**Snake in the Nest, Chapter Four**

**A.N. **Votes stand as thus:

Fred/ George: 2

Scabbers (NOT Peter): 1

Luna Lovegood: 1

Sirius Black: 2

Remus Lupin: 1*

James Potter: 1*

Peter Pettigrew: 1*

* this person voted The Marauders. One of Sirius' votes is counted as thus as well.

Sirius awoke, dazed, on a couch in the Common Room. He stretched a bit, and from his left he heard a groan as someone else awoke.

_Wait…_He shot up, looking around the photo world wildly. Beside him, Remus gazes blearily up, half asleep.

"Sirius… what…" Then his eyes open wide as well, and they share a look of bewilderment.

James and Lily are asleep still, each in their own chairs with utter peace on their faces. Sirius spares a glance at Peter, still darting around the room, then looks back.

Peter is sitting on the floor, and as he watches, a game of Exploding Snap plays itself out, without any of the players there. It blows up, and repeats. Sirius turns to the 'window' where the lookers are shown. Light is streaming in from what he assumes is the sun, but no-one is there.

"Sirius?" He turns to look at Remus. Remus is looking at the window as well, and Sirius realizes they both know that they should be playing cards.

"We can talk… and hear. It was that potion that Cooro spilled all over the photo." Sirius nods. He doesn't want to speak yet, in case it ruins the spell.

"Say something!"

"… Something." Remus tries to glare, but a chuckle rolls out of his mouth, and soon they both are laughing. It has been far long since they'd been able to laugh properly.

Remus' eyes glaze for a moment, before focusing on him once again.

"I can hear in the other photo that was spilled on, but not anywhere else. So it was only these two…" Sirius looks up as another explosion hits Peter's face, silently.

"And it only effected those who were actually here, not Pettigrew." Remus nodded once again. Sirius was about o say something, _anything_ to break the silence that once again surrounded them, when a loud grumble reached his ears.

"How long has it been since we ate?" Remus laughed.

"Forever. Reckon we can get to the kitchens in a photo?"

"Only one way to find out!" They wrote a note for the Potters, should they wake up before they got there, then approached the portrait hole. Sirius tentatively pushed it open, and when nothing drastic happened, he jumped out. Still nothing. The halls were empty, as it had been late at the time of the photo.

"Come on, Moony! Let's go!" Remus climbs out carefully, and follows him down the corridor.

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James and Lily woke slowly, to a soft clicking sound that slowly got louder until James sat up, irritated, and yelled,

"Would you_ stop that!_" Without looking up, Lily smacked his head. A chuckle alerted them both to another presence, and both looked up to see a man, all in white, standing before them. The clicking was coming from a clock.

It was their living room in the 'home' they had in Heaven. But…

"Weren't we in the photo with Pads and Moony?" James frowned, looking around in confusion.

"That is true. I need to speak to you two about that." Lily gestured for him to sit, and he took a place at an armchair.

"The photo you two were in, as you probably noticed, was covered in a previously unknown potion. It will probably never be replicated. It gave the ability of voice and hearing to the occupants. This is a bit of a problem." Lily frowned.

"Why? It's not like the real world can hear us…" The man, who was an angel of some rank, was already shaking his head.

"No, that's the problem. They will be able to, from both photos that were hit." Noticing their looks of confusion, he added, "There was one of just... Padfoot and Moony, was it? Laying underneath." They both nod.

"Now, you two have a choice. You can stay here, and can visit other photos as well, or you can go back to that one. If you do, you cannot leave it until the photo is destroyed." James looks at Lily for a moment, then turns back, opening his mouth to answer.

"You also cannot reveal anything you learned here, about the Death Eaters or the Prophesy, or anything. Anything you know will be revealed at the proper time." He gazed sternly at them. Lily stands up, stretching.

"Well, then let's go. I for one would like to speak to my son, even if I can't tell him much." James laughed, standing as well.

"Yeah! Maybe I can hint at the location of the Marauder's Map…" He grins at Lily's exasperated look.

"What? I won't _say _it…" Lily can't help but laugh.

The angel looks at them in slight bewilderment, then shrugs, standing.

"OK. Here's what to do…"

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Husky heads upstairs to rouse everyone, and runs into Nana on the stairs.

"Watch it!" She glares at him, wrinkling her nose a bit at the lingering smell of the potion.

"No need to over-react, Nana." She only scowls a bit more, before blubbering out an apology and running back to her room, near tears. Husky stares after her, bewildered.

"Ah… well, she is nearly thirteen, Husky. I believe it has started." He turns around to see Remus standing halfway down the hallway, with Senri behind him.

"What's started?" Remus chuckled again.

"Nothing, nothing… I'll tell you later, it's not important right now. How about breakfast? I'm feeling like French toast, myself." Husky shakes his head a bit.

"I'll be there in a bit; I have to change first. Cooro spilled some weird potion all over those photos we left on the table, so I guess I have to tell him about it, too." Husky walked past, not seeing the contemplative look in Remus' eyes.

He knocks on Harry's door, and listens carefully.

"Come in…" It sounds more like 'klarm pill,' but he takes what he can get and opens the door. Harry is sprawled on the bed, reaching for his glasses even as he slides under the blankets.

"Wuzzit?" Harry asks, a bit more coherent now as he sits up, blinking around the room.

"Erm.. Well, to be blunt, Cooro, and partially me, I suppose, spilled something weird on those photos we left downstairs. Sorry, mate." Husky himself couldn't see a reason to be overly attached to a photo, but as Harry's parents were both dead, he had to concede that they were probably worth more to him.

Harry frowns, not angry, but confused.

"Photos? There were more?" Husky nods, wondering why he'd been stuck with this job. Honestly, Cooro would probably have been a better choice.

"Yeah. There was one stuck to the other. We can't tell what it was; we only noticed it when Cooro started cleaning up the mess. Which is why I smell, coincidentally. Nasty stuff, that potion." Harry laughs a bit, rising out of bed.

"Don't worry about it. There were a bunch in that box; two won't kill me. Besides," he added brightly, "Remus probably has a bunch around! And he can tell us school stories. Or me, I suppose…" Harry taps his chin thoughtfully, before shrugging and beginning to get dressed. Husky leaves quickly to give him privacy, and enters his own room.

They all are sit at the dining room table to avoid the lingering smell of potion, eating French toast. Harry had never had any before, and eats as much as he can. He manages to match Cooro in amount, but nobody can eat faster. A fact that Ron doesn't hesitate to point out.

"We should pit him against Fred sometime. I bet he'd eat him under the table!" Fred, it turned out, was a bit gluttonous, and had never been beaten in an eating contest to date. Even against George.

"They claim that they share a stomach, and Fred just likes to eat more." Nana laughs, a bit harder than the others, and Husky wonders for the thousandth time since they sat down what Remus had been referring to.

Harry turned to Remus, eyes alight with hope.

"Remus… can you tell me what my parents were like in school?" Remus looks up from his plate (where he'd been unconvincingly trying to hide his laughter), and raises an eyebrow.

"You haven't heard from anyone else? Hagrid? Dumbledore?" Harry shakes his head, frowning.

"I know they were Head Boy and Girl. I know that my Mom was good with charms and very kind, and that I have her eyes. I know my Dad was great in Transfiguration and that I look just like him, something that Snape hates. But that's pretty much it." Remus frowns a bit, considering the question.

"Lily was very studious. Top of the class, really. And had a bit of a temper. She wouldn't hesitate to use the hexes she knew if you annoyed her.

"James was a prankster. He loved a good laugh, much like a pair of twins I keep hearing about." He grinned at Ron for a moment, then continued. "He was brilliant, though. I don't think I ever really saw him studying, however I think he did, secretly, to impress your mom.

"He also hated Snape. They hated each other, really. James hated everything Severus stood for, really; Slytherin, anti-Muggle-born, obsessed with the Dark Arts, etc. And Snape hated him, for being pure-blooded and not caring, for being Gryffindor… and for finally seducing Lily Evans, I suppose," he added lastly, an amused look on his face. The others looked at each other, perplexed. Remus noticed, and held up his hands.

"Let me explain. James was very popular. Good at Quidditch, did well in classes, funny, and for a while it went to his head. Lily hated how arrogant he could be, and when he started asking her out, she thought he saw her as a challenge and refused.

"He didn't stop pursuing her for three years. In our last year, he… well, his head deflated a bit, and because they were working together so much as Heads, she grew to like him. Drove her right mad, knowing he'd finally gotten to her…" Harry frowned, looking down. They'd fought for three years? Remus tapped his shoulder.

"They loved each other, Harry, don't doubt that. James just needed to mature a bit, that's all." Husky thought back to his half-siblings in the castle, and how they treated each other. Somehow, he got the feeling they'd _never _really mature.

Cooro is the one who takes the dishes into the kitchen. Nana washes and Harry dries. It is about halfway through this chore when Cooro calls out.

"Hey, look at these!" In his hands are the two photos. Husky, who had been sitting waiting for the others to finish, looks up.

The one that they weren't sure about now showed a dorm room, messy and uninhabited. The other is what catches their attention, though.

Lily and James are still asleep, and a note is now propped up on James' lap. From where they were, it was impossible to make out a word.

Remus and Sirius are both gone, with no hint to where they could be. But the strangest part is the middle.

Peter is sitting on the floor, playing the same card game over and over. The cards once held by the other players now float around him, laying themselves down alone and exploding. Peter doesn't notice that the others aren't there, and plays it again and again.

Remus looks at the photos carefully, a crease forming on his brow as he considers it.

"I… I have absolutely no idea what is going on here." Ignoring the looks of surprise from the children, he takes the photos and lays them carefully on the table once again, tapping both and muttering under his breath.

"Nobody touch these. I'll have to look at them later, but I'm afraid that until one of them wakes up, or returns, as it were, there is little we can learn." He herded the children out of the room, telling the boys they could practice Quidditch, yes he had extra brooms, and no, Nana, you don't _have to_, until they were all outside. He didn't tell them the bit he had learned. It was something he would have to think about, even as he watched Harry, as good as his father, if not better, swoop majestically around the trees.

He could hear it still, the faint snores coming from the photo. Even if he wanted to, there was no way to rationalize it. He hadn't spent seven years in the same dorm, with _werewolf_ hearing, to not know that it was certainly James that was snoring.

Which meant he was going mad. Whoever heard of a photo that could talk?

Yes, I'm stretching this as long as I can, mostly because it's rare I have a moment of brain power, so I'm relishing in this one. It's gonna be an interesting next chapter~


	5. Chapter 5

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Five**

**A.N. **Votes are as follows:

Fred/ George: 2

Scabbers (NOT Peter): 1

Luna Lovegood: 2

Sirius Black: 3*

Remus Lupin: 2*

James Potter: 1*

Peter Pettigrew: 1*

Peeves: 1

* This person voted The Marauders. So they managed to get four votes.

It was nearly three in the afternoon before the boys could be persuaded to come inside. Nana made sandwiches, and they sat in the kitchen this time; the smell had vanished while they played.

Husky was still scowling as they walked in; he'd been suckered into playing when Senri wandered into the woods to look for something, and the others had wanted even numbers. At least he'd been with Cooro, who was a natural in the air in any way, so he didn't need to do much except occasionally catch the football they were tossing around in lieu of the Quaffle.

The scowl was more from the seven times he'd been hit in the head while trying to keep his balance; honestly, it was like they were _trying _to knock him off!

_Hmm… _His thoughts were interrupted as a plate was placed in front of him, a now smiling Nana looking rather pleased with herself. She waited, and Husky raised an eyebrow.

"Yes…?" She rolled her eyes, passing another plate to Ron without looking.

"What do you think?" Oh. Tentatively, he took a bite, reminding himself to not show disgust should it be bad.

It wasn't.

"It's good." He didn't say anything more, as he wanted to eat more, and she rolled her eyes again before turning to give the others their food. Remus handed around iced tea and water.

Harry was talking animatedly to Ron about Quidditch moves they'd practiced, both at home, on the team, or outside, when the sound of laughter that wasn't theirs drifted into the room. They looked at each other, then at Remus, who shrugged. Cooro, who had been sitting closest to the counter, glanced back.

"It's the photo!" He held it up triumphantly. Inside, James and Lily were still asleep, and Peter was still playing his silent card game.

As he set it down on the table, the laughter got louder, until the sources walked into view, in the forms of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, both laden with food and still chortling at an unknown joke.

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Sirius was still laughing as they walked back. Apparently, there was no-one else inside the castle, so the kitchens were empty. However, they soon found that not only was there food, but it would be immediately replaced once it was removed from the shelf it was on. They'd begun to move everything around, simply to watch this, before grabbing more food for James and Lily and leaving.

Remus was about to say something else when he looks up at the 'window,' which happens to be right over the fireplace. Faces are peering down at them, and one of them is…

"Hey, Remy! Look! It's you! Hi, Remy!" Sirius dumps the food unceremoniously on a chair, waving happily at the very confused face of my real-self. I look at them, noting their names.

"And Harry! Hi Harry! He looks like this loaf, doesn't he?" Sirius pokes James as he speaks, dodging the punch thrown his way as James grumbles a bit under his breath and stays asleep.

"Yes, he does. Sirius, don't you think telling them what's going on would be a good idea? Preferably _before_ I try to kill you."

_Well, not me, but he is me… Gods, this is confusing._

_The real me must share both mentalities, as he has pulled the photo away from the children and is looking down on us. He is scowling, though I believe it is more at Sirius than me._

"Hey, don't glare! I didn't do anything!" Sirius dives behind a couch.

"Remy, tell him, before he glares me to death!" Remus had to laugh at that; it was a threat he'd used often in school. Turning to the window, he meets the eyes of the real Remus, who looks like he is holding down laughter as well.

"They switched at the last minute." It is all he has to say. The photo is dropped, only to be picked up by Harry, who stares in at them.

"What?"

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Harry stared at the photo, where the Remus inside had sat down and was trying to coax Sirius out from behind it, saying something that he couldn't hear.

Remus (the real one) is the one who answers them.

"They switched Secret Keepers… To Peter." There's silence for a long moment, before Sirius mutters something, annoyed. The Remus in the picture pokes him, and he says it again, louder.

"I didn't even manage to kill him. He's been hiding out in rat form somewhere." Photo Remus gestures to where Peter plays cards alone.

"He's hiding with his real self as well. Nobody's seen him in ten years, at least. Hard to keep track in here." Remus is staring at the photo. Cooro decides it isn't surprising; he'd just been told that the person he'd thought was responsible for thirteen+ deaths was innocent. Then he blinks, and the look is gone, replaced by a considering look.

"So, Pads, why haven't you escaped from Azkaban yet?" Sirius perks up, evidentially pleased with this response, and the kids stare at him. Ron speaks first.

"That's… it's impossible to break out of Azkaban!" Remus raises an eyebrow at the photo, ignoring Ron's statement.

"It's not like I have anywhere to go…" Sirius is pouting a bit, and Harry wonders if the photo-version is immature because of when it was taken, or if the real Sirius Black acts like this as well.

"You do now. However, I have one thing to ask first." Now both photo-Remus and Sirius raise their own eyebrows.

"When are Prongs and Lily going to talk? Or are they going to sit and stare for the entire conversation?" Eight sets of eyes go to the chairs, where both the occupants are indeed staring. Specifically, at Harry. The two canines both jump up.

"Well, I believe a conversation is in order, and we are not needed. Shall we clear out?" Sirius holds out his arm mockingly to Remus, who takes it with a flourish.

"Yes, we shall." He looks up at the window. "The other photo has sound as well; if you'd like to continue this lovely conversation, we could go there. And give the Potters some privacy."

The real Remus had already grabbed the other photo at this point, and was currently dragging the other children out of the room so Harry could talk to his parents.

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Harry wonders if he should feel as awkward as he does, staring at the photo of his parents in worry. Both are watching him with avid expressions, and finally, he coughs awkwardly. It breaks them of their trance.

"Harry! Look how old he's getting, Lils! Soon he'll be all grown up and pulling pranks on Slytherins just like his dad!" James pretends to wipe a tear from his eye. "I'm so proud…" Lily rolled her eyes, but a fond smile wormed it's way onto her face as she gazed up at her son. Which wasn't awkward at _all…_

"Hello Harry. Do ignore your father, he's been wanting to say that for nearly twelve years." She tuned out the protests of said person, instead asking questions of school, his friends, lessons, anything to learn more of the boy they'd never gotten the chance to really meet.

Harry, in turn, asked about their school days, their friends, silly things he would never think to ask but wanted to know. Like their favorite desserts, or what kind of music they'd listened to.

The subject strayed to the incident of first year. Lily lectured him soundly on going with no help (from teachers, mind. Students really didn't count in first year, and they'd been left behind anyway). James congratulated him on proper use of the Cloak, and Harry felt himself begin to cry, just a bit.

It was noticed immediately, of course.

"Harry! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Lily stared as he continued to cry, soft, silent tears that dripped just below the photo. James looked confused; they hadn't been too hard on him, had they?

"I just… I wish… I…" Harry struggled to find the words for exactly why he was crying. How do you explain that you were thankful that they were angry, that they worried, to your parents? Lily seemed to understand, to an extent, though, and wrung her hands. She wished, more than anything, that she could be real, alive, just for a moment. Just long enough to hug her son.

James felt awkward, and wondered if it would be less or more so if they were actually present, instead of talking through a photo.

"It's okay, Harry. We understand." It was the first time someone had tried to _comfort _him as well, but it made him feel better. Slowly, they began to talk once again, and Harry committed it all to memory, building up the images of his parents in his mind.

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The others were, meanwhile, sitting in the living room, talking to the photo as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Sirius, it seemed, was fairly ridiculous, and came up with bizarre plans for escape that barely made sense, if at all.

"Sirius. You do realize we want _stealth, _right? Because I think an invasion of Blast-Ended Skrewts would attract attention. Dementors are blind, not deaf." Husky noted absently that that was one of the less insane ideas. Finally, photo-Remus spoke up, from where he'd been sitting on one of the beds in the back of the photo.

"We have two of these things, right? Why not give one to the real Sirius, and see what will work from there?" There was silence, before Sirius cheered loudly, joined by Cooro.

"Brilliant, Moony!" Sirius began to tell exactly how brilliant Remus had been in school, explaining how many pranks he'd participated in and helped research, until Remus held up his hands with a laugh.

"Padfoot, quit it! You're making me blush!" Nana smiled at that; apparently Sirius brought out the younger Remus, and it was nice to see him happy.

Harry walked into the room, and it seemed that there was going to be another round of storytelling via photos when the photo-Remus abruptly raised his head, ears almost twitching.

"I believe we are being called elsewhere, unfortunately. I bid you all goodnight." He dragged Sirius behind him as he literally left the picture, followed by James and Lily, both looking bemused. Remus glanced at the clock, and gasped dramatically. Nana giggled and Ron snorted.

"Why, I do believe it's time to eat dinner. Nana, how about you and I go whip something up? Bys, there's a chess board in the cupboard; you can play if you want. They're not magic, but they'll work." Ron practically flew across the room in his eagerness to play, and the other three boys trailed after. Senri looked longingly at the kitchen.

"Oh! Senri, mind helping out?" Nana poked her head out into the room, looking at him. He nodded, smiling slightly, and turned to follow her.

A chess tournament was taking place in the living room, and though the pieces weren't magic, it was rather violent anyway. Twelve year old boys and all. Ron and Cooro were in the process of obliterating every piece the other player had on the board when Nana called them in once again to say there was food. It was rather late at that point, and soon after they ate everyone was in bed, and fast asleep.

Next morning, Remus took the photo of himself and Sirius, which was still missing its occupants, and tucked it into his cloak. He went downstairs, where the children had already restarted the tournament. They looked up expectantly, probably hoping for breakfast, but those looks faded to confusion when they saw his cloak.

"I have some business to attend to this morning. Will you all be alright by yourselves, or do I have to call a sitter?" Cooro raised an eyebrow, which made him look rather like Husky.

"Whoever would you get?"

"Moody." Nana and Husky shivered a bit, though both Senri and Cooro grinned. Harry and Ron looked confused. Husky reassured him that they'd be fine, as Cooro explained who Moody was, glazing over how he knew him.

"Right then. I want you to stay inside- don't give me that look, it's for your own safety. There's plenty to do in here; if the door is unlocked, feel free to look around. Try not to make a mess. I should be back fairly soon." He left. There were fifteen seconds of utter silence. Then…

"Let's go exploring!"

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Remus was scowling when he got off the boat to Azkaban. The Ministry official that was with him was a rather talkative man, and wouldn't stop asking questions about why he wanted to come here, of all places, and it was driving Remus up the wall.

Luckily, he managed to convince him to stay on the boat. The man, whose name he'd forgotten, wasn't very keen on going inside, and it had taken only a little persuasion to get him to stay on the shore.

It got steadily colder as he walked up the stairs, and the hall were filled with the screams and mumblings of the inhabitants as he walked towards the door. The guard, a dementor of course, glided away as he approached, and the door swung open.

Remus guessed they didn't need to worry about Sirius trying to run, not with a visitor there. Besides, he'd be caught before leaving the island; the thought of freedom would attract the dementors like moths to a flame.

He slipped inside, looking around in the dark for Sirius. When he located him, he winced.

Sirius was rake-thin, with a rather long beard and hair, both extremely greasy and ill-kempt. His face was sunken and haunted. He was lying on a cot in the corner, and his arm was chained to the wall.

_Well, that explains why they let the door open. They don't _think _he won't try to escape, they _know _he can't._ Remus stepped forward hesitantly. The photo Sirius (and Remus) had said there was nothing to worry about, but he wasn't sure. In retrospect, this was a very bad idea. Why was he trusting a photo, of all things?

Sirius rolled over a bit, making the chain clink. He shot up, mouth opening in a silent scream, and Remus shot forward, forcing him to lie down again.

Sirius stared at Remus, his eyes over-bright, then groaned, closing them.

"Great. I'm hallucinating. I'm as crazy as my cousin." He forced himself to sit up, and Remus took a step back, looking confused. Wasn't Azkaban supposed to drive people mad, or something?

"Well, as long as you're here, tell me about life, Mr. Hallu- Moony?" He looked at him now, really looked at him. Remus nodded, smiling just the tiniest bit.

"Yeah, it's me. Sirius, I need to ask you something. One question, that's all- who was the Secret Keeper?" Sirius stared, then shook his head, letting his gaze fall to the floor.

"Pettigrew. It was Wormtail. I convinced James to-" Remus put his hand on Sirius' shoulder, forcing him to stop and look up.

"That's all I needed. I'm sorry I doubted you, Pads. Now, before someone realizes that I'm not trying to kill you…" He handed over a package, which was much thicker than the photo was. Sirius stared at it.

"Remus…?" Remus took a step forward and gave Sirius a 'brotherly embrace.'

"Just trust me on this. I know I don't deserve it, but please." Sirius nodded. He felt like his world had tipped on it's ear; Remus believed him?

Remus exited the cell, closing the door carefully. It was amazing how lax the security was here; apparently the Ministry felt that the dementors were enough to keep everything under control.

_What would happen if, say, they left?_ Remus wondered. He reached the boat, and the official-man asked him again why he'd come.

"I had some questions that needed to be answered, and the only one who could do that was in there." The man nodded, and the trip back was spent in silence.


	6. Chapter 6

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Six**

**A.N. **Votes are as follows:

Fred/ George: 2

Scabbers (NOT Peter): 1

Luna Lovegood: 3

Sirius Black: 3*

Remus Lupin: 2*

James Potter: 1*

Peter Pettigrew: 1*

Peeves: 1

* This person voted The Marauders. So they managed to get four votes.

Exploring, as it turned out, wasn't nearly as interesting as it had sounded. No less than seven doors were locked, on being the bedroom at the end of the hall. Cooro explained the spell to the others, but no-one else seemed as interested in it as he was.

He didn't tell them he'd seen Remus cone out of it back in December.

The other rooms are devoid of both dust and life. There are several more bedrooms, a pantry, a library, an office, and the basement. They spent the most time there, looking at the old trunks and boxes that create a maze of epic proportions. It seems to Harry that the basement is rather larger than it should be, and wonders if it has been extended to fit the horde of things.

Nana makes an interesting discovery, in one of the lower-lying trunks near the strange silver door. Inside is nothing but photos, sorted into different boxes labeled with different names on each. They are looking through, with Ron telling them who they are when Husky gasps lightly.

In his hands is a box, like the others, with the name _Weasley_ written carefully across the front. He hands it to Ron. He looks inside, and his eyes widen after a few moments.

"It's… my Mum and Dad. During the war. Look! There's Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred n' George… even me!" He is only an infant in these, but his eyes shine with the realization.

"And here's a few of Uncle Fabien and Gideon. Mum's brothers. They died, in the war…" He falls silent, and closes the box, beginning to place it back in the trunk.

A set of large hands stop him, and he looks up at Senri, who pushes it back onto his lap.

"Keep it; Remus won't mind." Ron smiles a bit, and sets the box down, apart from the rest.

Cooro looks in the trunk again, and pulls out a few more boxes, one labeled _Potter_ and the other is blank. Harry stares at the Potter one, wondering just how many photos are lying around with his parents in them.

As it turns out, the Potter box has plenty more than his parents. There is what looks like far more relatives than he'd guessed existed, though he was saddened by this. It simply meant there were more deaths than he'd guessed. Senri insists he keep this one as well.

The last one is the best find by far, Harry decides. It is filled with Quidditch photos, from games for the Cup to Hogwarts games. And it isn't just from his parent's generation, they find. Ron spots his brother Charlie in a few near the bottom. It cheers them all up.

Cooro stands, opening his mouth to say something, when a loud gurgle is heard. It is echoed by Ron's, and after laughing at them both, the children gather the photos back up and leave.

They troop upstairs to eat lunch, and glance at the one photo on the counter. It's still empty, though none of them know why. Remus had taken the other one with him, so it was unclear if the occupants are in that one, or simply somewhere else.

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The four occupants in question are receiving the same lecture James and Lily had had, and these last two wondered why they had to hear it again. Hadn't they made their decision already?

There were a few differences in their rules, though; one, they could visit the living versions of themselves' minds, and two, they could jump between the two photos that had been coated in potion.

"We're staying, of course; far more interesting in there than anywhere else." Remus rolls his eyes at the long speech they'd heard. Honestly, what else would they choose?

"And besides, we're not dead. There isn't anywhere to go, really." The angel that gave the speech looks annoyed at their decision, but he nods.

"Very well. You'll be sent back, though when you'll arrive I do not know; time works oddly there." James raises an eyebrow.

"Don't you mean here?" The angel shoots him a disdainful look.

"This place existed first. So no, I mean it is strange there." With that, he sends them away.

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Remus walked as quickly as he could away from the boat, hoping to avoid talking to the official that was following him.

No such luck.

"Where're you headed?" Didn't this guy know when to give up?

"Home." Remus didn't bother looking back at him, focusing on getting far enough away to Dissaparate away.

"You sure? I mean, we could go to lunch or something…" The guy was _hitting _on him? Remus took a deep breath before answering.

"No, thank you. I have to get home." The man frowned, though Remus couldn't see it, and opened his mouth to respond again when Remus gave up and simply Dissaparated away.

The man scowled, then reached into his cloak and pulled out a flask. He took a long gulp, then began walking back to the dock.

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Sirius slipped behind the bed, the only place in the cell he could get a semblance of privacy. Not that most of the people here were very worried about it.

Carefully opening the package, he reached inside. The first thing he pulled out was a letter.

_Pads,_

_First off, I want to apologize. For thinking you were the traitor, for not telling you what I was doing for Dumbledore. For everything that happened in that bloody war._

_You're no doubt wondering why I changed my mind so suddenly, and the reason for that is very odd; a photo. Stop giving me that look, I'll explain. _

Sirius chuckled a bit, then his eyes widened at the fact. Should that be possible, with dementors here?

_In a strange accident, a potion of some kind spilled on two photos, and produced a strange effect; they can talk, Pads. One of them is in the package._

_Try not to be too obvious about it, or someone is bound to notice._

_-Remus_

Sirius choked back a snort; Moony still couldn't find a way to end a letter. He reached into the parcel again, feeling the photo and one more thing, a thin rectangle. Pulling it out, he smiled widely, and even the dementor gliding past his cell couldn't make it go away.

In his hands lay a chocolate bar.

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Albus looked up as an owl flew through his window, holding out it's leg. He smiled in recognition; it was Remus' owl Romulus, and he remembered the many jokes about it killing Remus eventually. A dark subject, but he couldn't resist a chuckle as he took the letter; the owl was one of the sweetest he'd met, making the theory silly.

He slit open the letter, and though he'd never admit it, his eyes widened as he read it's contents.

_Dear Albus,_

_I do hope you're having a lovely summer. Mine has been rather hectic, but pleasant. Harry and Ron are visiting, and the house is full of laughter, something I haven't heard enough of in the past few years._

_To get to business, I have rather odd news. Whoever was trying to summon Voldemort works at the Ministry. I'm still trying to find out where, and who, but it is worrisome that that can happen under their noses. I fear the worst; that an official may have been corrupted and is using their influence to use the Dark Arts._

_Now, there is something else I'd like to share with you, but I fear the subject is rather delicate, and I do not wish to explain by owl. If you could drop by, or arrange a meeting, I would appreciate it. You will not be disappointed in what I must tell you._

_Lastly, though I am sure you heard of it, the meeting with the Ministry went well. They will check in every once in a while, but I see very little chance of getting any worse than that. Certainly not landing them in the Department of Mysteries._

_I wish you well,_

_Remus Lupin_

_P.S. The security at Azkaban is horrifically lax; it is worrisome that a person can go in without an escort._

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the last comment; why would Remus be visiting Azkaban, or know of the security there. Surely he wouldn't visit anyone there, would he…?

He looked at the letter again, noting that the writing was a bit jittery, as though the person who had written it had been shaking.

Yes, he would go there, and Albus got the feeling that he would find out at this meeting. He quickly wrote a reply and sent Romulus off with it.

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'Scabbers' hadn't felt this nervous since he'd become the traitor all those years ago. They _knew, _knew he was the real reason James and Lily were dead, and knew he was hiding out in rat form. He felt thankful he had no markings.

Except his missing finger. He eyed it again, and slipped further back in his cage, feigning sleep as Ron came in. Ron glanced at him, tossed some food inside and left again. On his way out he placed a box on his bed.

He ate what appeared to be the remains of a turkey sandwich, then slipped back into the darkness.

'_They don't know… they don't know…'_

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Ron ran upstairs, the boxes under his arm and a sandwich in his hands. He set the box on Harry's bed, then went to his own. Scabbers lay in his cage, fast asleep in the darkest corner. He put the sandwich inside for when the rat awoke, put the box away and left.

'_Why couldn't I get a cool pet, instead of Percy's old rat?'_ Ron shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought. His parents did the best they could, but with seven kids things were tight often. He had no reason to be greedy; at least he _had _a pet.

He laughed as he went down the stairs, remembering when he'd bitten Goyle's finger. It was funny that he'd only bitten Goyle, not him or Harry. Kinda like he knew what was going on.

He shook his head. _That_ was ridiculous.

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Harry sat on the couch, between Cooro and Husky. Nana and Senri sat on another couch, and Ron took a seat in the armchair as he returned from feeding Scabbers.

"I still don't get how you never got any of our letters, Harry. I've never heard of an owl not delivering their post." Ron looked a bit troubled at the whole thing. No letters had arrived since he got here, now that he came to think of it. None except one for Remus that had arrived a few minutes before. Romulus, the owl, had looked a bit annoyed that Remus wasn't home, but let them put the letter on the table instead of leaving to look for him. Cooro now had him in his lap, stroking his feathers.

"Maybe something is taking them? Like your uncle, perhaps?" Husky seemed more suspicious than confused, though Harry would bet that that was because of how he'd grown up. Who wouldn't be paranoid after that?

"Owls wouldn't let his uncle near the letters unless they were for him." Nana responded, looking up from whatever she was sewing. All he could see was that it was a pale yellow, and that didn't mean much.

"Well, they could have dropped them on his window sill or something, and someone found them." He supposed that could be it, and said so. Ron looked dubious, but admitted that Errol could have done that by accident.

"And Romulus might have been confused because by going so late at night or something. We only sent one or two to your house before we used Muggle post." Cooro noted, looking up at the ceiling in contemplation.

"But that doesn't explain Neville's letters going off… hey, where is he? I thought you said he'd be joining us soon, and the weeks half over." Senri, who had been watching Romulus, looked up at Ron.

"Couldn't make it." Nana continued to tell him the rest.

"He sent a letter at the last minute. Apparently his grandmother wanted to visit some old friends in Spain, and is dragging him along. Maybe later in the summer, though…" Ron nodded, disappointed. It was only a month and a half before school, though.

Cooro looked up abruptly, though his hand never wavered on Romulus' back. Senri and Nana looked up as well, and stood as one, walking to the front door and opening it just as Remus walked up. He looked at them and laughed, walking in and letting them close the door behind him.

"Remus! You're back!"

'_Well. Way to state the obvious, Cooro,' _Harry couldn't help but think, but he laughed and stood to greet Remus as well. Harry told him of the letter, and they sat in silence as Remus read it. He smiled, nodded to himself, and put it in his pocket.

They sat in the living room again, with Remus in another armchair. He had Romulus now, and the owl looked rather pleased with himself.

"So, can you tell us what your errand was?" Husky asked from the couch. He hadn't moved, and simply looked up at Remus.

"How about this? I'll tell you if you tell me what you did today." Husky grinned a bit, but it was Nana who spoke.

"We looked around a bit, mostly in the basement. Found a trunk full of photos…" Ron jumped in, and Harry was thankful that he didn't have to.

"We found a bunch of our families… can Harry and I keep them?" Remus looked a bit surprised, then nodded.

"I'd forgotten how many things ended up there. You can keep them. I might look around a bit more, see if I can find any more." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then focused on them all.

"I went to see Sirius in prison today. He now has one of the photos. I also sent a letter to Dumbledore…" As he spoke, a polite knock was heard from the door.

"And I do believe that's him. Run along now, we have some private matters to discuss." His eyes twinkled in mirth as he looked at Nana, which caused her to guess that she was allowed to eavesdrop. They left, and Remus opened the door to reveal the Headmaster, who smiled at him.

"Good evening Remus. I believe we have some things to discuss."

And….. That's it for now. See you all in about two days.


	7. Chapter 7

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Seven**

**A.N. **Votes are as follows:

Fred/ George: 2

Scabbers (NOT Peter): 1

Luna Lovegood: 3

Sirius Black: 3*

Remus Lupin: 2*

James Potter: 1*

Peter Pettigrew: 1*

Peeves: 1

* This person voted The Marauders. So they managed to get four votes.

When he walked inside, Albus was surprised to see that there were no children in the room. But besides himself and Remus, there was only a photo in the room. He glanced at it as Remus gestured for him to sit.

It was of the Common Room, and Peter Pettigrew sat and played cards by himself.

"Ah. The heart of the issue." Remus saw him looking as he sat across the room, and chuckled.

"This photo is?" He looked closer. It appeared normal, though the fact that Peter played the card game by himself was odd.

"Yes- a rather odd accident, really. Cooro spilled a potion on it this morning, along with several other ingredients that we can't identify. It produced a… interesting effect." He leaned forward, and Albus was put under the impression that he was being theatrical on purpose.

"The occupants can talk, Albus. Or at least the ones that were there at the time. Though they aren't there right now. It was me, James, Lily and… Sirius Black." Albus raised an eyebrow. He was rather brilliant, but for the life of him he couldn't see where this was going.

"And? Did Black claim his innocence, or begin to laugh madly? I don't see where this is going." Remus was smiling happily, though there was a hint of malice in it.

"He didn't protest; he simply told. Albus, he wasn't the Secret Keeper. They switched to Pettigrew." Albus started, and stared at the photo once more.

_Peter? The traitor?_ Yet it made far more sense than Sirius, when he thought about it. After all, Sirius had hated everything to do with the Dark Arts, had ran away from his home to get away from them. Why would he have turned?

As he sat there, the sound of voices began to filter through the photo. Remus, for his part, ignored it and continued his narrative.

"I went to see him this morning. Sirius. And I gave him the only other photo that was coated with potion. I suppose we can hear about it in a moment; it sounds like they are returning." Albus shook his head, but smiled. After all these years, it was nice to see Remus returning to the impulsive boy he'd never really had a chance to be. The war had done far more damage to its survivors than anyone had imagined.

"And then I said- Oh, hello, Professor." The occupants had indeed returned, and were now standing within the frame. James and Lily had claimed an armchair to share, and the other two stood behind the couch. The photo Remus laughed a bit.

"That punch line doesn't make much sense, Pads. I do believe you've lost your touch." Sirius, turning away from the window, leapt on him, and the two engaged in a violent tussle, but there was laughter as well.

Albus chuckled as James finally pulled them apart, reminding them both of their observer. The photo Remus looked up.

"Good evening Professor. I suppose you want to hear what happened?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"I believe I understand, for the most part. But, can you tell me how this business of being a photo works?" They all took turns explaining it, adding several times that it was impossible for any noise to be heard inside a regular photo. Dumbledore only asked a few questions regarding traveling between, and was otherwise silent.

Finally, he looked up at Remus, a slight frown on his face.

"You know that this can't be used to get Sirius out. The Wizengamot will believe it is a simple trick to help him escape." This made Remus knit his brow in slight confusion.

"How _did _he get convicted? I don't remember a trial…"

"There was no trial. People assumed that he was the Secret Keeper, and the witnesses all thought they'd seen him blow up the street. Though, I do wonder…" He glanced at the photo again, where the boys shifted a bit awkwardly, as though knowing what question would come next.

"How would he have escaped? I believe someone would have noticed him Apparating out." Sirius scoffed, evidentially finding this unlikely, but didn't answer. James beat him to it.

"He's a… we're all Animagaus, sir. Been since fifth year. I would guess that he escaped in his rat form."

Remus, both in the photo and in real life, recalled Dumbledore being surprised all of twice. Once in school, when he took responsibility for something that was obviously James' idea, and once when he revealed he'd finally made contact with the werewolves.

This made three.

"You three were, _are, _Animagi?" More nods, and Remus looked at him carefully. Albus was still addressing the photo.

"May I ask, why? And exactly what are your forms?" Remus looked down, and knew that in the photo, that version of himself was doing the same. He was only half expecting it when Sirius answered.

"To help Remus during the full moon. The books we read said that the werewolf would be less violent if there were other animals around it. I'm a black dog, and Jamsie here is a stag."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Finest Messers Hogwarts has ever seen." James intoned solemnly, before grinning.

"Sorry we never said anything, Professor. It's slightly illegal, is all." There was a moment of tense silence, then Albus chuckled.

"I should have known you wouldn't allow your friend to suffer without trying to help in some way. And this explains quite a bit of the mischief that you four got up to in school."

Sirius let out a barking laugh, throwing an arm around Remus.

"And you said he'd be angry for us keeping it a secret!" Remus blushed a bit, but grinned good-naturally as James joined in the laughter.

"Now, I believe we should discuss your findings regarding the Ministry official…"

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That was when Nana stopped repeating everything she heard and stopped listening. Ignoring the disappointed voices of the boys, she let her ears go back to normal.

"That isn't our business. If we need to know, then Remus will tell us later. _I _want to know what an Animagaus is." Ron gaped at her.

"You'll eavesdrop on a conversation and then tell us that the most interesting part _isn't _our business. I'm appalled."

Nana glared at him, but Cooro giggled, remembering that she would also steal weapons from the military mostly because she hated the commander. Husky jumped in to stop what appeared to be a fight.

"An Animagaus is a person that can turn entirely into an animal, remember? Like McGonagall." She blinked, evidentially remembering the conversation with Dumbledore and Remus at the beginning of the year.

Senri glanced outside, noticing that the moon was almost full. He ignored the others as the conversation turned to exactly how difficult it was to become an Animagaus, and how long.

Instead, he gazed out at the window, wondering how long until he could go to sleep.

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Sirius shuddered as another dementor glided past his door. Trying to ignore it, he nibbled on the chocolate, willing himself to remember who it came from. They couldn't make him forget that it was there, so instead they sucked away _who_ it was from. He clutched the letter tight in his hand, putting the bar under his bed for now. Hopefully, he wouldn't forget it was there.

Azkaban did strange things to the memory.

He reread the letter again, then looked at the photo. It was still empty, and he told himself for the thousandth time that it wasn't a prank, that the occupants were elsewhere, that Remus wasn't lying…

But another dementor passed by, and he found himself saying that he was hallucinating it, that his innocence hadn't been enough and he'd gone insane…

A cough came from the photo, and he looked down with a wild expression.

His younger self looked up at him, along with Remus. Both were startled by his expression, Remus more so.

"Jeez, I though you said you were sane… You okay, mate?" Remus looked at him closely, or as closely as a photo could. Slowly, he nodded.

"So… this morning…"

"Wasn't a prank or a hallucination. Would you really hallucinate more scars on poor Moony? He had enough at school." Photo Sirius, who had the singular ability to read the real one's mind, answered all of his questions without blinking, and sat down on one of the dorm beds. Sirius a bit, wondering when he'd ever acted like that.

"Ten years ago, mate. Nearly eleven." Remus shook his head, sitting on another bed.

"It's annoying that I can only hear half of this… Anyway, we're here to a few things. One is to ensure your sanity."

"And the other is, of course, to figure out how you're getting out of here."

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It wasn't until nearly noon the next day that anyone noticed there was something wrong.

Remus, when he read the newspaper the day after that, chuckled a bit at their horrible security. Dumbledore flooed him to Hogwarts to ask if he'd had anything to do with this mess; Remus told him that he had no direct way of contacting anyone in Azkaban.

Harry and Ron had been sent, or summoned home, of course, after the news got out, with strict instructions on not telling anyone what had transpired, except maybe Hermione and Neville. And that was a stretch at best.

Remus didn't feel like driving them out to Surrey, but, having little other choice, did exactly that, leaving the other four back at home.

Everyone except Cooro, who hid in the trunk and refused to go back. Now they were dragging Harry's school trunk (Complete with finished homework and family photos; Remus hadn't found any new ones, but promised he'd keep looking) up to the door, where Mrs. Dursley stood, looking in every direction in worry that someone would see them.

Finally tired of dragging, Remus hefted the thing up into the air and walked through the door, followed by Cooro and Harry.

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley. Where should I put this?" Remus was probably the only person who could sound so polite while carrying something as big as himself. Petunia pointed at the cupboard, and Harry quickly stepped forward to open it, while she turned to regard Cooro.

"Hi! You must be Harry's aunt! It's nice to meet you!" Cooro held out his hand, smiling brightly.

_You'd never know he had to be held down to prevent him breaking something when I said I used to sleep under the stairs. Maybe he should be an actor. Do wizards have any need for actors?_ While Harry pondered this, Petunia eyed the hand warily, as though it was some kind of insect. She didn't grab it, and Cooro retracted it slowly, his smile fading.

"Well, I'll see you at school, Harry. Try to write, kay?" Harry nodded, and they left. He turned to see Petunia watching them, with an unfathomable expression on her face. He ignored it and went upstairs to unpack the few things he was allowed to touch before September.

_Well, it's short, but I did say by today, and I wanted to end it here. Just to clarify, yes, Sirius escaped a year early, and yes, both Harry and Ron know the real reasons. Also, this is about a week before Harry's birthday. Just to help you out._


	8. Chapter 8

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Eight**

**A.N. **Votes are as follows:

Fred/ George: 2

Scabbers (NOT Peter): 1

Luna Lovegood: 3

Sirius Black: 3*

Remus Lupin: 2*

James Potter: 1*

Peter Pettigrew: 1*

Peeves: 1

* This person voted The Marauders. So they managed to get four votes.

Also, just to clarify, the POV's of Sirius and Harry aren't on the same timeline. They'll even out at the end of the chapter.

Sirius tore a piece of the package off, and bit his thumb, drawing blood. He wrote quickly, repeating the message four times, then ripped it into four. Then, using loose thread from his uniform, tied the rest of the package, with the chocolate and photo inside, around his neck. Then he became Padfoot.

He looked all around the hallway for the third time, before dashing through the bars of the cell. Dropping one of the pieces inside one of the cells, while its occupant slept, he then slipped out again and continued to run. He had only a few seconds before the next dementor went past.

It was touch and go, passing a few cells at a time, stopping, starting again, until he was at the stairs, which, thankfully, weren't guarded. He bounded down, as fast as possible without falling. He wouldn't have the strength to get up, if he did.

The first floor. There were no humans, thankfully. Nobody stayed overnight, nobody but the prisoners. There were large doors that were closed and locked, but they weren't his goal. No, it was the large barred window on the other side that he was aiming for. Glancing around a few times, he saw no threat, and ran, practically diving through the gap. Good thing he was so skinny…

The water was cold. Abnormally so, though that was probably due to the chill that dementor naturally gave off. He shuddered, but continued swimming. He'd seen the boats going this way, so land must be this way, right? He hoped so, because if it was an Apparation point, he would have to swim even further.

The sun was just rising when he got his answer. It wasn't an island; it was some peninsula on the coast of northern Scotland, and he landed near some dense woods that he bolted into immediately.

Once he was deep in, he looked around for a shelter, as far away from humans as possible. He was in luck; there were a few fallen logs that formed almost a lean-to, in a clearing that hadn't seen man in at least a decade. He slipped in, and transformed back, hands scrabbling at his neck. He got the package, and breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't too wet; on the contrary, it was only a bit damp near the bottom. He opened it, checked the photo (it was empty), ate a piece of chocolate, then packed it up again.

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Harry groaned when he woke up; not a common reaction for most on their birthday. But they didn't have to deal with a stupid dinner party and uncaring relatives on theirs, so he felt it was justified.

Eventually, he got up, going downstairs where his aunt and uncle sat, crooning at Dudley for his 'excellent' behavior and planning how to impress the Masons. Harry ate as quickly as he could, hoping to avoid them entirely, but luck wasn't on his side.

"And _you._ You will stay in your room. No noise, no funny business. Be grateful I let you go a week at that Lupin's place…" Vernon turned back to his food, leaving Harry wondering if he'd ever mentioned his name.

He went to the local park, staying there as long as he could. He didn't want to deal with the Dursley's right now, not when he was feeling so bad. He knew that his extended family wouldn't bother doing anything for his birthday, but he'd hoped that his friends would remember. Were there still problems with the mail…?

Eventually, he had to go back, and was immediately given enough chores to last him until seven. Then, he was given some bread and cheese and sent upstairs. He could hear the guests arriving as he walked.

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Sirius was panting, hiding behind a large rubbish bin in an alley near Blackpool. It was by a Wizarding pub, and as he watched, a man tossed an old Daily Prophet into the bin. He practically dove into it as the man walked away, finding the paper and retreating to the abandoned apartment building he was hiding in. He planned on leaving the country soon, but he wanted some news and a wand first.

**Sirius Black Escapes! Famed Mass Murderer and known Death Eater at Large!**

Below was a photo of him. He had to admit, even he was scared of himself. He'd been half mad at the time, from grief and anger.

He read through it, and sighed in disappointment when he saw that they had searched Remus' home for him. He'd hoped that Remus would be left alone, but that didn't seem to be the case. If the article was anything to go by, they hadn't found anything incriminating there.

He threw it away again, and turned into Padfoot once again, leaving the dilapidated place once again.

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Harry was used to strange things. He'd seen the man who killed his parents growing out of his professor's head, after all. But the pile of packages and letters on his bed had made him stare.

He hadn't gotten a chance to look at them, though, for at that moment, his uncle stormed through the door, yelling that the dinner was ruined. It took several minutes for Harry to understand what had happened.

Apparently, just as Aunt Petunia was cutting her cake, it had exploded, covering them all in frosting and sugared violets. The Masons had run out, claiming them to be insane. Harry groaned. Not for the first time, he was being blamed for something that was quite obviously not his fault.

When he awoke to his uncle putting bars on his window, telling him he'd never go back to Hogwarts again, he wasn't surprised. Bleakly, he wondered if anyone would notice his absence.

Then he remembered the pile, which now sat under his bed. Pulling the objects out, he found letters, a lot of them, from everyone, beginning at the beginning of summer up until his stay at the Lupin household. The packages were birthday gifts. On top of all this was a single letter, written in red ink and on a piece of parchment that seemed to be torn away from a larger piece, and rather dirty.

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Sirius smiled, rather happily. He was staying in Hawaii until he got news that it was safe. Luckily, the wand he'd stolen was working perfectly, and he'd had no problems Apparating here immediately. Nobody recognized him, due to a glamour, and he felt far more secure in the warm islands than he would ever in the UK.

He pulled out the photo, where Remus was waiting for him. He laughed at his expression; apparently, photo Sirius hadn't bothered telling him where he was.

"Hawaii? Really, Sirius?" Remus laughed, then sighed a bit.

"Talk hasn't died yet. They're keeping the house under surveillance, though I've been informed, off the record, that it'll only be for another few weeks. Though, we could adopt a dog, if you'd prefer…" He saw Sirius shaking his head and smiled good-naturedly.

"Thought not. You prefer the warmth, I'd bet." Sirius nodded this time.

"Are you planning on opening your mouth at all, Pads?"

"My teeth look horrible. Until they're fixed, I refuse to speak more than I have to." Remus shook his head at his vanity.

"It's Harry's birthday today. We sent gifts, of course, but there's been a strange issue with his mail not getting there, and I'm worried that he won't receive it." Sirius frowned.

"Why would there be a problem? There's no reason for the mail not to go through…"

"I believe someone, or something, is intercepting his post. I plan on looking into it as soon as I can, but the full moon was more draining than usual, and I need to rest. I believe the news of your escape riled up the wolf."

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_Harry Potter,_

_There is grave danger in you going to Hogwarts this year. If you promise out loud not to go, Dobby will remove the memory of the cake from your family, and let you out. But you must promise!_

Harry stared. He couldn't do that, Hogwarts was- _is_ his home!

"No. I won't make that promise, Dobby. Whoever you are." A slight sound, almost like a sob, was heard, but then there was silence.

A week passed, and he tried to sleep despite his aching stomach. Hedwig wasn't helping, hooting as she was. And there was that rattling…

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Sirius huddled in his hut, far away from anybody that might be nearby. He was still in the islands, but deep in the jungles. A storm raged outside, and the dark and cold was quickly reminding him of Azkaban. He pulled further into himself as a loud crash rang out from a few feet outside.

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Harry couldn't believe his luck. Ron and the twins, upon finding out he was trapped in his room, had come out in the middle of the night and helped him escape. How they'd known, they would not say.

"We'll tell you later. Right now, we need to get out." They had managed to get away without waking a soul, and as they left, Harry thought he heard a voice murmuring goodbye as they flew away in the Ford Angela.

Now he sat at their breakfast table, eating more food than he usually did in a week, and talking to the other Weasley's as though this was normal.

The lecture they'd received from Mrs. Weasley hadn't been pleasant, though.

"_What_ on Earth were you thinking, going out like that without protection! There's a murderer on the loose, and you three go cavorting about in a flying car! You could have _died, _you could have been seen, oh _wait_ until your father hears…"

Harry thought the last wasn't really a threat, once he met Mr. Weasley. He'd seemed more pleased that the car worked than mad.

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Sirius listened as his photo self read the article on his search party to him. It sounded frightfully boring, but he needed to know where they were looking.

"They think I'm in _Russia?_ Are they crazy? It's way too cold there; I'm staying here until my skin chars off and I look tan again." They both laughed.

"Oh, Remus wanted me to tell you; you're going to have a visitor in a few hours. He can't leave, the house is still being watched." Sirius nodded, and the photo was vacated.

_Now, who else knows about where I am?_ The kids staying with Remus, but he doubted it was them. Even though the oldest, Senri, was legally able to take the Apparation test, from what he'd heard, it wasn't likely that he was able.

He got his answer when a loud crack sounded outside. Diving to where he could see outside, he found Albus Dumbledore standing there, smiling benignly and watching him.

"Hello Sirius. I'd ask to come in, but I believe it's more comfortable outside."

Sirius laughed; Dumbledore was still Dumbledore.

"Yes, I suppose." He walked out, stretching a bit and standing tall.

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order. You are officially the first person to break out of Azkaban." He held out his hand, which Sirius shook. Then, conjuring up two chintz armchairs, he sat down, gesturing for Sirius to do the same.

"Now, apologies are in order. I am heartily sorry for not looking further into your case; I'm afraid I didn't think much about it at the time." Sirius shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Dumbledore. We should have told you. The war… it ruined everything. We couldn't trust our own shadows." Dumbledore sighed, nodding. There was silence for a long time, before he looked up.

"Well. I didn't come here just for that. Preparations must be made, of course, but I wish to hear how you managed to escape. I trust it is due, in part, to your Animagaus ability?" Sirius let out a barking laugh.

"Remus told you? Yes, that's how I did it. Dementors are blind, you know, so they thought I was finally going mad. I ran like hell through the place, slipped out the bars on the window, and swan to shore."

"Just how did you stay sane? I've never met a person who managed it." Sirius grinned, though it was a bit grim.

"I knew I was innocent. Since that didn't make me happy, the dementors couldn't take it away. The fact that Remus and Harry were safe crossed my mind a few times as well, in my more lucid moments. I was half mad, though, Dumbledore, don't get me wrong. Just not as bad as most."

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Harry rooted through his trunk for a long time, until he found what he was looking for.

"Hey, Ron! I found it!" Ron hurtled into the room, grinning ear to ear.

"Really? Let me look!" It was of some kind of organization, with all their parents, Remus, Sirius, Ron's uncles, Dumbledore, and plenty he didn't recognize. As they watched, Arthur pulled Molly into a kiss, which she returned happily. A few other pairs smiled or laughed, though Harry could see his father dragging his mother into a similar position in the corner.

"We should show your parents. Maybe they know who the others are." They went downstairs, where both the Weasley's sat, enjoying afternoon tea.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley? We found this old photo, and were wondering if you could tell who some of them are."

Arthur looked at it in surprise, smiling as he watched himself and Molly kiss.

"I thought this photo was destroyed… there was a fire at the Prewett house." Harry smiled a bit awkwardly.

"We found it in a box at Mr. Lupin's house. He had a bunch of old things from the war… In fact, he said to tell you to drop by and look through. There were some things of Gideon and Fabien's, I think." Molly smiled as she watched her brothers tease her in the photo, remembering the tales of their pranks from school. The twins reminded her of them.

Arthur began to point out who everyone was as she let two tears, one for each of them, drip down her cheeks.

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Sirius watched Dumbledore leave, before turning to his hut with a sigh. He raised his wand and began to work. Wards were placed around, followed by Muggle-repelling spells and un-Plottable charms. Then he fixed the place itself, adding a bed and other things until it became almost a cottage. He didn't add to much in way of décor or furniture; he'd leave as soon as it was safe.

Dumbledore wanted him to lay low for a while. Meanwhile, he would be looking for Pettigrew himself, occasionally with Remus' help. He had told Sirius, however, he had little faith they'd find him.

"A rat is far too common a creature for easy finding. He is missing a finger, which could help, and I'll bet he hasn't left the Wizarding world entirely, but there is much ground to cover. I fear we may never find him."

Sirius had nodded, wanting to hunt him down himself but trusting that Dumbledore would do all that he could to do so himself. If Peter had any sense, he would be as far away from England as possible.

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'Scabbers' wondered if he had any sense, staying so close to Dumbledore. But he couldn't leave, not yet; until it was certain Voldemort was dead, he'd stay, gaining as much information as he could about the Boy Who Lived as possible.

Ha! Managed to get it up before midnight!


	9. Chapter 9

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Nine**

**A.N. **Votes are as follows:

Fred/ George: 2

Scabbers (NOT Peter): 1

Luna Lovegood: 3

Sirius Black: 3*

Remus Lupin: 2*

James Potter: 1*

Peter Pettigrew: 1*

Peeves: 1

* This person voted The Marauders. So they managed to get four votes.

This is the last time I'll write the votes. Sirius and Luna tied for first; awesome.

Cooro remembered the huge grin Remus had had when the paper had come in a week ago. It had been an article announcing that Sirius Black had escaped. The six children had been rather amused when Mrs. Weasley, apologizing to Remus for disturbing the household, had literally dragged Ron back home. Remus had taken Harry home later that day.

Two weeks after that, they'd gotten a letter from Ron, explaining that Harry was at his house, and would be for the remainder of the summer. There had been another letter enclosed, from Harry.

_I can't explain who has been taking my letters, but I know why now. There's something dangerous happening at Hogwarts, and they want me to stay away. I think it might be a prank. _

_The twins are saying that it was probably a house elf, which rules out pretty much everyone I know. We can't ask Mrs. Weasley, she's still wound up from Sirius' escape. Can you ask Remus what he makes of it?_

Nana showed the letter to Remus, who examined it carefully, frowning.

"A house-elf… they're magically bound to an old Pureblood family, to serve them until they die. Hogwarts has thousands working there, though they're much better treated there than most homes, these days…" he looked up at them, their faces curious.

"In answer to your question, yes, a house elf could be doing this. If it was just stopping the mail and blowing up a cake, I'd say it was on orders. But the letter… I believe there may be more going on than meets the eye." And he didn't say another word on the subject.

Neither would photo Remus, when Husky tried to ask him a few more questions. Sirius shrugged apologetically.

"It might be there's nothing to tell. We had a house elf, when I was growing up. I've never heard of them going out on their own to do something like this, but it would depend on the family, the elf and the circumstances. Ask Harry if he could try and talk to it, somehow."

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Harry looked at the letter, curious. How could he try and contact it, whatever it was? He felt reassured that Remus and Sirius both said that a house elf was entirely possible. He'd been worried it might be worse than that.

_Well, no use sitting here. Might as well try it._

"Erm… whoever has been taking my letters, could you please come out? So we can talk?" There was silence for a long moment, and Harry felt ridiculous. He'd snuck out of the Weasley's, and was sitting in the back garden, with a torch next to him.

Then a loud crack sounded, and in front of him stood a strange creature, with large bat ears and wearing a pillow case.

"Harry Potter called, and Dobby is here. Is Harry Potter reconsidering? Will he stay safe, away from Hogwarts?" Harry stared. This was nearing the top of his 'Weird things' list.

"Why? Why should I stay away from Hogwarts?"

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Husky stared out the window, where the moon hung, shining innocently. It was waning, still three quarters. Remus wouldn't have to worry about it for a few weeks, at least. That was something. School started in a few weeks; they'd gotten supply lists already. Everyone was meeting in Diagon Alley in two days, and Harry said he'd tell them what happened then. He'd grown suspicious of the post.

Nana and Cooro were flying outside, he knew. They'd fallen into the habit of doing so at Hogwarts, and now it was habit. They'd go out during the day, though. During nice, clear ones, with little breeze and white poofy clouds that dimmed the sun enough to block out the sun.

Senri sat on the bed, watching out the window as well. They could go downstairs, to wait for them, but neither of the two outside wanted them to stay awake for them. So they sat in Husky's room, waiting.

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Two days later found them all waiting in Flourish and Blotts, waiting for the Weasleys. Hermione was showing her parents around, Remus and Neville's grandma were talking about something, and the five children were sitting at a small table, talking about school. Cooro looked up in interest when he saw someone putting a poster up, showing a smiling man with blond hair.

"Who's that?" Neville glanced at it, then laughed.

"Gilderoy Lockhart. Rather famous, going about defeating really powerful Dark creatures and wizards. He's having a book signing later; that's why we got here early. Didn't you notice? All his books are on our lists." Husky had noticed, but had thought nothing of it.

"Probably a witch as the new teacher, then. Ridiculous, isn't it?" They looked up, to find Ron grinning at them, slightly covered in soot.

"Ron! Here, have a seat, tell us what's been going on. Where's Harry?" As he sat down, the other Weasley's came in. All were covered in soot as well. The twins and Ginny walked over, sitting around them. Mrs. Weasley looked excited, and was peering at the posters with growing pleasure.

"Harry got off on the wrong grate. Dad's looking for him. Mum's all happy, she gets to see the _great _Lockhart in person." George scoffed.

"I've read a bit of his books; they seem like a load of rubbish to me." Fred nodded, though Ginny scowled at them.

"Just because he has a brain in his head doesn't mean you need to insult him every turn." Fred turned to her, grinning.

"NO need to get defensive. If I didn't know better, I'd say you liked him!" She blushed, but was saved from answering as Harry walked in, with Hermione (when had she left?) and Mr. Weasley. The two of them walked over, and Arthur went to join the adults. From his vantage point, Cooro could see him growing more animated as he spoke to the Grangers.

He was about to point this out to Nana when he saw she was staring at the poster in interest. Hermione got her attention, and the two of them and Ginny walked off, talking about something he couldn't hear.

He looked at Husky and shrugged. Harry was talking about his small adventure in Knockturn Alley, with the twins listening with rapt attention. Senri was watching with a detached expression.

Husky leaned forward, about to ask if anything had happened regarding the Thing-That-Might-Be-House-Elf, but before he could, people began to pour into the shop, all looking forward at where a table sat, empty save a large, obnoxious peacock quill and a pile of books.

The people coming in were all older witches, Ron noted, and said as much out loud. The twins laughed, then, saying they were 'escaping the madness,' they left.

Remus walked over, arms filled with books that the boys hastened to take from him. He smiled thankfully.

"Well, we're all done in here. You three can stay, if you want…" He stopped, as all three of them were violently shaking their heads.

"No! Let's get finished, we can meet the others after this is all done." Husky said. Remus looked relieved, though he tried to hide it.

"Well then, shall we go? I believe Nana wants to stay here, so I'll tell Molly…" He looked up as Harry, Ron and Neville stood as well.

"My gran's leaving as well; she doesn't care for Lockhart." Ron and Harry looked at him hopefully.

"Can we leave with you?" Remus laughed at them.

"We'll have to ask your mother. I believe she is still worried about Black's escape, though." Ron scoffed a bit.

"She shouldn't be. Prophet's saying that they have evidence he's hiding out in Russia, of all places." They all, discluding Neville, shared an amused look. Remus nodded and they walked over to where the other Weasleys stood. Percy had left as well, so only Arthur and Molly were left. Remus explained the situation, and after a bit of persuading, she let the boys leave.

Remus stopped for a moment, looking at the cover of a book, when they heard a voice.

"Potter. Running away from the Weasleys? Finally realized how worthless they are?" Malfoy stood in front of them. Ron wasn't visible from that point. The three girls walked over to say goodbye, not noticing the blond in front of them.

"Ah, I guess not. Trying to get even more famous, Potter? Running around with famous fakes like Lockhart?" Now the girls saw him, and were frowning. Remus glanced up, and began walking their way as well.

"Leave him alone, Malfoy!" Ginny practically spat out the name. The twins, Husky remembered, had said their father hated the Malfoy family; they were far too immersed in the Dark Arts.

Malfoy turned to Ginny, a malicious smirk on his face.

"Well well, Potter. You got yourself a little girlfriend." She went scarlet, but didn't move away from them, still glaring. A man who could only be Mr. Malfoy came up behind his son just as Remus walked over, glancing at the blondes before ignoring them.

"Ah, Nana. We're going to pick up some things at the apothecary. You can stay here, if you want.""Well. Lupin. Finally out and about, then?" Something in his tone indicated that he knew where Remus had been before, Husky thought. Remus looked at him in vague annoyance.

"Yes. Is that a problem, Lucius?" He didn't wait for an answer, and instead led the boys away, just as Arthur walked up. They could hear heated words being exchanged, but were too far away to hear what they were. Right before they reached the door, a shout made them turn.

The two men were engaged in a brawl, knocking over books and all manner of objects. Remus gestured for them to stay and ran forward, where he and Hagrid, who'd come back for something, Harry guessed, pulled them apart. There were a few moments of talk, then Remus rejoined them, annoyed.

"Come on, I'll tell you what happened in a moment. Let's just get out of here before _he_ comes." He ushered them out, and they didn't stop until they reached the door of the apothecary.

"Now, what is going on?" Ron looked a mix between shocked and elated.. It wasn't every day your dad beat up your enemy's father.

"He was insulting your family. I believe that with all that's happened in the last few weeks, with the raids and Black's escape, your father snapped. You'll be pleased to know that he appeared to be winning." He sighed, and, seeing their curiosity hadn't been absolved, continued.

"As for wanting to get out of there… I went to school with Lockhart, and let me tell you: until I find very convincing evidence to the contrary, I won't believe he did a bit of what he wrote about. He wasn't all that skilled in school." Harry frowned.

"Why hasn't anyone called him out on it?" Remus chuckled, but it was dark.

"Many who were in school with him at the time are dead, Harry. Besides, most people don't notice those things. I did, but only because I was tutoring those that needed help." Cooro cocked his head a bit.

"And he was one of those people?"

"Often. I will concede, though, that perhaps he learned faster when it was needed, out in the field, as it were. But I am skeptical. Now, let's get your things."

There were few things they still needed, really. The books, of course, and potion ingredients, but that was it. Remus lingered as long as he could in the shop, before sighing and leading them out. They walked back to the bookshop, where the others were thankfully waiting outside. Molly handed the boys their books, smiling happily.

"They're all signed as well. I believe he was a bit annoyed that we had so many, but when he found out some of them were Harry's… I believe he wrote a special message in them, dear." Hermione was bouncing on her heels, and the other two weren't much better, though they restrained themselves to huge grins. Warily, Ron asked what it was.

"He's going to be our teacher this year!" Harry let out a loud groan.

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They got to the Leaky Cauldron, and had lunch. The children sat at their own table, where Harry related what had happened with Dobby.

"He said that terrible things were about to happen. I tried to convince him that I'd be safe, so he'd leave it alone, but he wouldn't listen. Funnily enough, he didn't say a word about Sirius Black." The twins, who were sitting in on the conversation, grinned.

"Maybe he knows something about him. If he does serve the Malfoys, they'd know all about dark wizards, wouldn't they?"

"And you know, no Death Eater has ever mentioned Black being on their side. Ranted about him killing or capturing their fellows, sure."

"But never him on their side?" Hermione frowned, confused. "Shouldn't they look in on that? What if he was framed?" The others looked at each other. There had never been evidence to prove he'd help murder the Potters, they knew.

"The street that blew up was evidence enough, I suppose. But if Pettigrew did that, or someone else…"

"And then they Apparated away…"

"And he couldn't have been entirely sane at the time, his best friends were dead…"

"It'd look like he was guilty. Even if he was just trying to avenge his friends." They all looked at each other, realizing what they'd just said. Harry shared a long look with the other five that knew of Sirius' innocence. There were slight nods all around.

Just as he opened his mouth to tell them, Molly and Arthur walked over.

"Weasleys and Potters! We have to get going, I'm afraid. We'll see you all in September." They stood, and Harry glanced at Ron, who was shaking hands with Husky. He had a momentary look of surprise, then nodded, tucking his hand into his pocket.

They flooed back to the Burrow, and between packing the supplies up and helping with supper, Harry nearly forgot about the strange exchange.

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"What'd you give Ron, Husky?" Cooro didn't forget, however, and asked the moment they'd flooed back to the house.

"Just a note. It's nothing you don't know, I was just making sure they knew." At his and Nana's blank looks, he rolled his eyes.

"You know, that they can tell the twins and all. Sirius being innocent and a few other things." He changed the subject quickly.

"We should talk about all of this on the train, anyway. I just wanted them to know we all trust the twins, Hermione and Neville. And Ginny, I suppose." He added as an afterthought. She'd been so quiet he'd almost forgotten about her even being there.

"Well, we can't have a face-to-face for a few weeks, remember? Got to wait until school." Husky nodded, and Cooro grinned a bit.

"It's only three weeks! What could happen?" They all paused, looking at one another. Nobody answered.

The line sounded strangely ominous.


	10. Chapter 10

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Ten**

**A.N. **Wow, double digits already!

For the next three weeks, very little happened. The four children made sure the homework was finished, helped clean up a bit, packed everything up and were finally off to Hogwarts.

Remus promised, as they drove, that he would send them the photo as soon as Sirius was at the house. That way, it would serve as both a gift and a message. It would be easier that way; they were all still wary of the mail.

They'd told Remus of Harry's meeting with Dobby, and he seemed rather worried, though he reminded them it could all be an elaborate prank. He agreed that if it was, the Malfoys were perfectly likely.

"I know they have a house elf, though I couldn't tell you if it is this Dobby or not. I'll ask Dumbledore, but I doubt he knows…" They got a letter from him later saying that no, he didn't, and why would Remus want to know?

It had taken a few days before they decided to keep it to themselves for now.

"No need to bother him right now, we have other issues to worry about." And Remus had sent off a letter baring a fake explanation. Husky asked what he'd said, but Remus simply smiled and said it was nothing.

They were early to the train, and found a compartment to themselves.

"Good thing, too. With all the people we need to talk to, this is going to be packed." Nana noted as she let Senri take her trunk. He stowed it, then the others, and they sat down.

"So, we're telling the others? Everything?" Nana asked, half to herself.

"Yeah. Does that include how we got-" Husky cut Cooro off quickly.

"Not yet. Remus and Dumbledore want to be sure they caught the guy before we tell anyone." Nana gasped, holding a hand to her mouth.

"I forgot to tell you! Before I stopped listening, Remus told Dumbledore that the guy who set up the portal works at the Ministry." Husky stared at her.

"You couldn't tell us this _before…"_ The door slid open, and he cut himself off. Neville stood there, with his trunk. He grinned.

"Hi guys! Have a good summer?" Murmurs of greetings came from each as they shifted so that he could stow his luggage and sit down next to Cooro. He looked at them in contemplation.

"I didn't say anything before, but you all know something about Sirius Black. What is it?" Cooro twitched a bit at the name, and Husky blinked at his forwardness. Nana answered.

"We're going to tell you. We would now, honest, but Hermione needs to hear it as well. And I think the twins and Ginny should, too. Sorry," she added at his disappointed look.

"It's fine. So… Ron and Harry already know?" Cooro nodded.

"They were at our house when it happened. We didn't mean for it to be a secret, but…" he trailed off, looking apologetic. Neville waved it off.

"Like I said, it's fine. So, what'd you lot do over break?" Now on a safe topic, they began to talk of it, and listening as he told them of his trip.

"It was boring, mostly. Gran kept stopping to talk to people even older than _she_ is, so we didn't really see much." Hermione appeared eventually, and Nana gave her the same explanation as Neville. She looked disappointed as well, but moved on, talking about Lockhart and his books while the boys rolled their eyes.

The twins arrived, only to say hello until they dragged them in. Ginny trailed after them.

"Where're Ron and Harry?" Hermione asked, looking worriedly at her watch. The train gave a lurch as she spoke, and began to move. From the window, they could see Arthur and Molly racing to the portal, worry etched on their faces.

"They missed the train. How could they miss it? They were right behind us!" Anxiety over the two won over curiosity for a few minutes, while they discussed the problem, before Fred groaned and leaned back.

"Enough! We'll find out soon enough; Mum and Dad'll get them to school if need be. Now, what did you need to tell us?" This seemed the moment for dramatic glances and secretive phrases, but Cooro got bored of it halfway through.

"Sirius Black is innocent. He's hiding on a tropical island I've never heard of, not surprising, and we can talk to him through a photo that I spilled potion all over that Remus gave to him a few days before he escaped." The five that weren't involved in the plot blinked, before George leaned forward.

"So… Remus helped him escape?" Nods. Fred leaned forward as well.

"And is in communication with him as well?" Another nod. The twins glanced at each other.

"Excellent." Hermione finally made her mouth work.

"_Excellent?_ He could get arrested!" Husky shook his head.

"There's no proof he did anything. In fact, he _didn't_ do anything. He just gave Sirius the knowledge that someone believed he was innocent." Nana jumped in as Hermione began to speak again.

"Dumbledore knows, and I think he even visited Sirius. Remus wanted to, but the house is being doubly monitored right now…" Ginny and Neville both frowned, and Neville spoke.

"Double? Why?"

"Well, one is because they need to be sure we're not abusing our +Animas. Oh, I can grow gills and a tail, and Senri has a bear claw, by the way." Senri let his claw show when the twins immediately looked over.

"And the second is because Remus and Sirius were best friends. They thought he was involved the first time, he said." Fred looked up from examining the claws, and Senri used the distraction to put them away before someone looked in.

"I heard Black was friends with the Potters. Pettigrew too. Does that mean..?""Yeah. They were friends. Dorm-mates, even." Husky and Cooro take turns telling most of the story they'd heard. Pettigrew's betrayal, the charm, the switch, everything. Even the Animagaus transformations. When Ginny voiced the obvious question, Cooro hesitated.

"Come on, you said you'd tell everything! Spill!" He waited a long moment, then spoke.

"Remus is a werewolf. They did it so they could keep him company on the full moon, so he wouldn't hurt himself." There is a tense silence, so thick that Husky wonders if he raises his arm, if he would feel it.

Before he can act on the idea, Fred and George speak.

"Well, that's that."

"We have to avoid talking to him now.""Them too, they could be infected."

"And Ron, he spent so much time there."

"Come on Ginny, we must act like proper purebloods and leave them." They both laugh, and soon they all are.

"Honestly, you thought we'd _care?_" Fred scoffs.

"If he was dangerous, Dumbledore wouldn't trust him. And he certainly wouldn't let you lot stay there."

"Besides," Ginny adds, and they look at her in surprise, "Mum knows. Remember? It was a full moon the day after Ron came home, and she said she'd come get him that day when we met in Diagon Alley the first time." They all nodded, remembering that. She'd seemed to know that the full moon was coming up, when she'd asked if he wanted her to get Ron by Saturday.

Nana turned to Hermione, who looked dubious.

"Well, 'Mione?" She looked up, biting her lip.

"From what I've read, werewolves are dangerous… but…" she hesitated, then continued, more firmly.

"But I doubt it's all true, and if you and Dumbledore trust him, then I do too." Nana grinned widely, then turned to Neville. He met her gaze evenly.

"My parents are in a permanent wing in St. Mungo's. They're insane, tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. I see Remus there all the time; he volunteers making potions and talking to patients, did you know that?" They all shook their heads.

"I already trust him. Who cares what he does under the full moon?" He suddenly grinned, and it was one worthy of a Marauder.

"My gran dances under the moon every solstice." The twins laughed the loudest.

"Oh! I've just remembered. Sirius was on the Muggle news as well. As a murderer, not a wizard, of course. They're trying to get the Muggles to look for him." George shook his head.

"Right stupid idea, there." Husky nods as well.

"If he was really guilty, he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who saw him. Surely they would've thought of that?" Nana rolls her eyes.

"They evidentially don't care about the lives of a few Muggles, as long as they have their prisoner."

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Sirius glanced around once again, before darting forward. There were wards all around this place, he knew; he'd be lucky if he got away.

But he needed to get the idea around, and if risking the wrath of Mad-Eye Moody was part of it, he'd do it.

Reaching the door, he dropped the scrap of paper, and turned to run.

He didn't get far.

From behind him, a spell is cast, and it hits his back. It is a stunner, thankfully, but he winces all the same. Sirius falls, and can only watch in slight dismay as he is hovered back inside the house, as Alastor Moody picks up the scrap of paper. He watches his expression carefully, hoping for some kind of reaction. But his body turns before he can see a thing.

He is set down, none too gently, on the carpet of a simple living room. Moody walks in, using his cane, and closes all the curtains, casting spells so no-one could see or hear what happened inside. He reads the scrap of paper again, out loud.

"Pettigrew is alive. Secret-keeper." He folds the paper and tucks it into his pocket.

"Written in blood, no less. He must really hope I believe that; he should know by now there are ways to track blood." Moody looks at Sirius now, and he has to remind himself several times that Moody cannot tell that he is anything but a dog.

"I suppose he sent you to drop this on my door. Wonder if Dumbledore got anything similar…" he goes to the fire, tossing the counter-curse behind him.

"You'll wish you were dead if you pull anything…" he glances back, and freezes. Sirius stands there, human now, looking better than he had in Azkaban but still unhealthily thin.

"_Black!" _Moody roars, drawing his wand. Sirius has his out as well, and holds it up.

"Is a color and a very insane house of Purebloods. Honestly, I go out of my way to tell you about an escaped criminal and all you can yell is my surname?" He shook his head, frowning.

"Constant vigilance, Moody." He glares at him.

"What is stopping me from giving you back to the dementors right now?" Sirius sits down on the couch, not letting his want waver a moment.

"My innocence?" At his skeptical look, Sirius sets his wand down on the table in front of him, hoping he was right, and Moody would be curious enough not to kill him.

"Innocent? Ha! There was damning evidence against you, and…" he stopped, frowning. There really had been very little evidence in the explosion, and that had merely been that he was the only wizard still there. Sirius saw his conflicted expression, and gestured at his wand.

"I'm entirely unarmed. Would an actual criminal do that?" Not waiting for an answer, he pressed on, wanting someone to believe him without using the photo. Not that he wouldn't use it, if he had to.

"Pettigrew was the traitor. He was the Secret-Keeper. I told James to switch, because everyone thought it would be me. Less suspicious, Peter was. And not a week later…" he looked down at the table, tracing patterns while pushing his wand closer to Moody, so he wouldn't be hexed. He was surprised Alastor hadn't picked it up.

Instead, he sat on a chair, watching his every move with both eyes.

"What happened on the street? The Muggles swear he was the one yelling that you were the traitor." Sirius smiled grimly.

"He was. I dunno why, but he was. I had my wand on him, but he was never a good wizard, and between that and in the confusion of the yelling, I let my guard down. He blew the entire street, cut off his finger and…" he paused, wondering if every secret the Marauders had would be laid bare here.

"And? Haven't I taught you to give a full report? Finish!" Sirius smiled, more real this time. It sounded like Moody was beginning to believe him.

"He was an unregistered Animagaus. He changed into his form, a common rat, and scurried off. I just stood there until the Aurors, yourself included, I believe, appeared and carted me off." Moody is silent for a very long time, and Sirius sat absolutely still, watching his face carefully. Finally, he speaks.

"Why did you come to tell me this?" Sirius relaxes, just slightly.

"Because I'm going to need the best of the Aurors, retired or no, on my side. They'll hunt me as loudly as they can, but not very hard. I need them in an uproar, jumping at shadows." Moody eyed him warily. Sirius would bet his entire fortune he's wondering whether he'd gone insane in Azkaban.

"Why? Surely it would be easier to go to Dumbledore…"

"He knows already. He wants me to lay low while he works. But I was never the kind to wait. That's why I'm in this mess. If I'd waited, maybe Pettigrew would be dead. Maybe the Potters would still be alive…" he shakes his head.

"I need them in an uproar because that will make Pettigrew jumpy. It will make him make mistakes. I want him caught, by either me or the Ministry."

"Dumbledore is in on all of this, huh? Should've guessed." Moody considers something.

"Have you told Remus yet? Bloke was in a right state after you were convicted." Sirius grins broadly.

"My dear Alastor, who do you think helped me break out?"

And that was the first time he ever saw Moody laugh. Not in a slightly evil way, as he did whenever they caught a Death Eater, but a real, honest-to-God laugh.


	11. Chapter 11

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Eleven**

The train arrived, almost without any of them noticing, and it is only the noise of the corridors filling that rouses the second, and one first, years from their seats. The twins had left earlier, to find Lee Jordan and most likely plot mischief.

The seven of them trooped out, leaving Ginny with the other first years. She instantly began talking to a blonde girl standing next to her.

"Luna Lovegood. They're neighbors." George said as he, Fred and Lee walked past, with suspiciously bulging robes. They claimed a carriage to themselves, and the now six of them quickly found one for themselves as well.

Cooro looked out as they rode past, eyes finding the moon with no difficulty and finding it almost full.

"Tomorrow…" the others looked at him, then at the moon, before nodding and continuing on their conversation on the Lockhart books. The boys thought he was a ponce, the girls that he was a hero. Husky wanted to tell them what Remus had said, but a look from Neville silenced him.

_Fine. Let them learn it the hard way._

They arrive at the castle, and look out at it in wonder. It looks magnificent from here, and the four +Anima hadn't seen it like this last year. Cooro pets the thestral as he passes, earning an odd look from Husky but nothing else. Senri does so as well, but nobody notices as they are all walking to the doors of the castle, where McGonagall is waiting for them, letting them inside and frowning as she sees the twins.

"I'd best not hear a peep out of you two. Mr. Jordan, that counts for you as well." They all nod, innocent looks on their faces, but as she passes, all three run down an empty hallway. Hermione looks at them in annoyance, but says nothing, merely returning to her discussion about _Gadding with Ghouls _with Nana.

They sit down at the Gryffindor table, and Malfoy walks by while Cooro waves his hands around, explaining exactly _how _griffins and hippogriffs are related.

"No Potter? And no Weasel, either. Shame, really. With their help, we could have won the cup this year." Crabbe and Goyle laugh, though Husky is fairly sure they didn't get it.

"You need all the help you can get, Malfoy. And not just in the House Cup direction." His eyes sparkled maliciously. Malfoy opened his mouth to retort when Cooro jumped in.

"Oh, go bugger off. Can't you see when you're not wanted?" His glare turned to Cooro, but Neville joined in now.

"I don't think he's wanted anywhere near here, really. Go run and play with your Slytherin pals." The three boys watch him carefully as Malfoy, apparently not expecting this kind of response, huffs and walks away. His cronies follow.

"Gryffindors: one. Slytherin: zero." Fred comments as he sits down near them, grinning happily.

"Good way to begin the year, boys. Very good."

"Not as good as ours, of course, George."

"No, but a fine start."

"They'll get there eventually."

"Of course." And the two both turn to where the first years are pouring into the room, looking terrified and excited all in one. Neville knew he'd looked like that, and smiles encouragingly as a few glance over at them. Cooro sees them looking as well, and he grins happily, then gestures at the ceiling. A few look up, and soon they all are, staring in awe at the bright sky.

Nana spots Ginny, still talking to the blonde, though she looks a bit nervous as well. She waves a bit, and mouths to her '_it's easy.'_ Then the Hat began to sing, and it received the rapt attention it deserved.

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Bellatrix Lestrange was not sane. She had gone mad, round the bend, as it were, and it showed. He hair was long and straggled, not the well-kempt locks she's had, and she was almost constantly laughing.

Her madness hadn't stopped her ability to read, though, so when she found a scrap of paper in her cell, she was perfectly capable of looking it over.

The first thing she noted was that it was in blood, and she could feel the old magic that bound her to it. It was a Black's blood; Sirius', as he was the only one left from the direct line.

Then she realized the paper was a torn fragment of a package of some kind, yellowed and frayed along the edge.

It was then that the words finally registered, and she screamed what she'd read out loud, so that the other inmates could join her in her anger.

_Pettigrew is alive._

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Cooro glances up sharply from the book he is reading, listening attentively. The sound comes again, and he pokes Husky, very hard.

"_What?"_ Husky had been asleep, dreaming of something he couldn't remember.

"Harry and Ron are in their dorm room right now. Do you want to yell at them now, or later?"

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Dumbledore has barely reached his office after the speech when a head pops into his fireplace. It is Alastor Moody, and the look on his face is a mixture of annoyance and relief.

"Can I come in, Albus?" He nods, frowning. Alastor had retired not long after the Lestrange case, he remembers, saying he'd earned his keep twelve times over. It was not a coincidence that he was here so close after an escape.

"You could have told me about all this. Instead I got an escaped convict passing notes written in blood." Dumbledore blinks, then shakes his head.

"Always impulsive. Sirius respects you, far more than he would admit, I'll bet. I suppose it's not odd that he would want you to believe him innocent in all this." Moody sits down in one of the chairs positioned across from the desk.

"That doesn't explain why you didn't tell me, Albus." Albus raises an eyebrow.

"I would like to keep this all quiet, until we can catch Pettigrew."

"And you can't do that alone. Black wants him caught, and he plans on doing it any way he can. I don't think he would even worry about ending up back in Azkaban as long as he gets his revenge." Dumbledore felt his eyes try to widen, and clears the surprise from his face.

"If you think we should get more help, who do you suggest?" Moody's answer is instant.

"The survivors of the first war, Albus. The Order of the Phoenix."

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Sirius crouches, feeling the magic slide over his fur, then accepting him as family and going dormant once again.

The Malfoy house is as he remembers, at once regal and foreboding. He drops his scrap and bolts, not wanting to be caught by this family. Unlike Moody, they would not simply let a stray dog stay a stray dog. He would be held, or killed immediately.

House elf magic grazes him, but it is not what he is expecting. It feels more like a question, an invitation to stop and speak. He glances around, slowing slightly.

A house elf, standing alone, beckons him behind a storage shed. He lopes over, regarding him with interest.

"You is leaving notes for my masters. You is getting past the wards. You is family?" The house elf voices the last as a question, and Sirius wonders if he could even transform safely in front of him.

"Dobby is not telling them if they don't ask. Dobby is not saying a word. Can you understand Dobby?" He nods, figuring he could transform and Apparate if need be.

"Is you family?" Another nod.

"Is your message important." He nods again, watching this Dobby.

"Is you supporting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" He hesitates, this is a Malfoy elf after all, then shakes his head. Dobby sighs with relief.

"Good. Dobby is scared that his masters will soon have their master back. Dobby is scared that the Jerard man will succeed in his next portal. Dobby is scared that he is in the Ministry again." A voice called out sharply, and Dobby winces.

"I must go. You, run out the gate as soon as you is hearing the door shut. I is distracting them as long as I can." Sirius nods, and Dobby disappears.

When the door closes, he runs. Inside, he can hear a shriek of anger, and of fear. Quieter than that are smalls screams of pain.

He gets through the gate, commit's the things he's heard to memory, and decides that as soon as he can, he will pay back the house elf for his help.

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Remus listens to the photo carefully, rolling his eyes but smiling all the same.

"Same old Padfoot; never thinking. This Jerard… I believe he may be the missing link we've been looking for. In fact, I'm sure of it. I'll talk to Dumbledore." The Sirius in the photo nods, and grins happily.

"I did good. Admit it." Remus laughs at the smug look on his face.

"You did. Congratulations, you got a compliment from me."

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Dumbledore sits in easy conversation with McGonagall, trying to ignore the slight annoyance from Lockhart. He'd known, when he hired him, that little good would come of it, but he was fighting quite a bit of red tape for better teachers. He had a few in mind, but he would first have to go through several Ministry channels to get things done. Malfoy was blocking his attempts again, of course.

The mail came in, and a letter for him arrives, on Remus' owl. He takes it carefully, but doesn't get the chance to read it before an ear-splitting shriek comes from Gryffindor table.

He looks up and sees Ron shrinking underneath his seat, with his friends either looking on in pity, amusement or confusion. He shares a brief smile with Hagrid, who has come in for breakfast. He remembers many similar letters arriving from several old families, including the Potters, Blacks and Pettigrews. It had been a quiet running bet within the teachers as to who would get the most by the end of each year.

He remembers, amused, that Remus had never gotten one, though he'd been involved in more pranks than the others combined. He'd simply been harder to catch. Dumbledore wasn't going to admit to anyone that even he hadn't been able to figure out how some of the pranks were pulled off.

He looks back down at the letter.

_Albus,_

_Sirius, as I'll wager you already know, is stirring up as much chaos as he can. He has visited both Moody and the Malfoy manor, and has left notes stating quite simply that Pettigrew lives._

_However, while at the second 'stop', as it were, he ran into the house elf, and heard something interesting. I believe we now know that the name of the man we're hunting is Jerard. I will look into this immediately._

_It might interest you to know that that same house elf is trying to get Harry back home. From what I can gather, he is afraid of something happening at Hogwarts this year. I know you can do little with this information, but it is all I have._

_I request you don't ask the children; they didn't want you to know just yet, and there is little they can tell you right now, anyway._

_Sincerely,_

_Remus Lupin_

As Remus is usually very paranoid with what he puts on paper, Dumbledore is at first confused at this wealth of information. Then he feels the spells put on the paper, and understands. It has been charmed to only reveal it's message to one person, and that is him.

It is rather advanced magic, a slight variant on a charm that allows a paper to be read only with the proper password. Dumbledore knows, however, that Remus had had this one mastered early on in his third year.

_Well, that certainly is useful. I should discourage Sirius from doing such things again, though. He might be caught if he isn't careful._

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Even Cooro would admit that Lockhart was annoying when he started implying he was better than Professor Sprout at anything relating to plants. Neville told them that even he could tell his advice was shoddy. When Harry told them what he'd said, Hermione scoffed.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating…" Nana looked up, her face a mix between annoyance and rueful acknowledgement.

"That's word-for-word, Hermione. I think he's a bit full of himself." She was silent the rest of the lesson. Though Husky conceded that it might be because of the mandrakes they were repotting. Nana looked rather tense, he noted. If she heard them, her hearing might make it worse.

The twins sit by them at lunch, laughing at Ron and asking once again why they hadn't been invited. When Harry explains that they couldn't get through the barrier, they become serious.

"Might be the elf again."

"Rather stubborn, isn't he?" Neville looks up from his food.

"You don't think it's a prank anymore, do you?" Both shook their heads.

"Takes a lot of power to block the barrier."

"And a lot of determination." Cooro nods.

"So he's serious about why he wants Harry home. There really is something dangerous going on here at Hogwarts."

All looked at each other, grim, before Cooro sighs dramatically.

"All of this is too dark and depressing for me. Can we not embark on lighter trains of discussion?" Ron guffaws, while Harry laughs quietly into his cup. Even Hermione smiles a bit, though she's tense with excitement at their next lesson.

Defense Against the Dark Arts. Senri looks at his schedule, masking his annoyance. He didn't want to deal with that man again; it had been annoying enough to receive a lecture on how to get to his classes properly and not be mixed up with the second years. He was thankful that Cooro had rescued him from that.

Cooro and the twins were discussing something now, with sneaky looks on their faces. It seemed that they were plotting something. Senri only hoped he wouldn't be involved. Or that they'd ask him to help; either would be rather fun.


	12. Chapter 12

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Twelve**

**A.N. **Honestly? I can't believe I'm writing my fourth chapter in a day. I think I can feel my brains leaking out of my ear.

They left lunch, and warily made their way to the DADA classroom. It was already packed with the female half of the class, though they weren't late. The boys gladly sat in the back, letting the two girls walk forward and take some seats near the front. Cooro began tapping his wand on a piece of parchment while muttering under his breath, watching in interest as it began to flash different colors.

Lockhart walked in, grinning widely and Cooro lost interest in what he was saying immediately.

_Too many titles, not enough brain. _He began to page through his Charms textbook, trying to find something to distract himself from the man in front of him. Husky tapped his shoulder and whispered "Page seventy three." He flipped to it and found a charm that would force the person it was cast on to speak the truth. It was mentioned in theory, and it stated that only very advanced wizards should attempt it.

He whispered it to Senri, who then told Neville and Ron, who told Harry, who showed Seamus, and on and on until only the girls in the room were even listening. Some boys were instead looking at other things, such as the third chapter of their history book (something that was far more interesting when their teacher wasn't there), which was about the battle between Grindelwald and Dumbledore.

It took a while for their teacher to stop talking about himself, and hand out a quiz. The quiz wasn't much better; it asked questions such as what Lockhart's birthday was, and his secret ambition.

Husky scribbled down an answer to the second, smirking.

_To become so big-headed that he literally exploded, thus ridding us all of his presence._ He was aware this would probably earn him a detention, but he didn't honestly care. He continued through the test, putting down sarcastic remarks at every opportunity.

Cooro glanced at his paper and chortled a bit, before continuing his own paper. Looking at it, Husky could see no answers, and instead a drawn out version of the seventeenth goblin war met his eyes. Cooro was flipping through the textbook again, looking for a charm that would make them move.

He found it, and somehow managed to cast it properly as the papers were collected. Cooro sighed, disappointed that he probably wouldn't get it back, and he hadn't been able to add sound effects. Maybe next time.

Harry turned and asked quietly what the others had been writing as answers. Husky and Cooro both spilled and listened with interest.

It seemed Senri had filled them all in with his own answers, Ron hadn't bothered writing anything, and Harry had written the proper answers…

"Backwards and on all the wrong questions." He grinned, and the others laughed. Neville that he'd tried to write the correct answers, but "didn't bother reading the books earlier, so it's just as bad, really."

They watched with rapt attention as Lockhart read over their papers. All of them could tell, even from their seats, exactly when he'd reached their papers. Cooro reminded himself to ask for his back later; he would probably never get the chance to remake it.

Lockhart finished, and began admonishing those who didn't know his favorite color was lilac, or that he wanted to begin marketing his own hair care supplies. Husky thought that it was one of the few things he'd be good at. That or talking.

_Perhaps a politician…_He tuned in as Lockhart complimented Hermione, who was blushing. Nana giggled a bit into her hand, and from his seat Husky could see her kick Nana under the table.

"Now, I don't wish to frighten you, but I have in this room some of the most dangerous creatures known to wizard kind. Be assured that you will come to no harm while I am here." He placed his hand on the cover of a cage that nobody had really noticed until now.

Husky felt himself leaning forward in interest, and saw most of the others doing the same. Cooro was drawing on a spare piece of parchment, though, and didn't even seen to notice what was going on. Senri was equally uninterested, and was trying to see what Cooro was drawing.

Lockhart warned them all not to scream, then ripped the cover off.

"_Freshly caught Cornish pixies."_ Harry managed not to laugh, until his gaze wandered over to Ron. They stared at each other for a moment, before they both burst out in loud hoots of laughter. Seamus and the other boys joined in quickly, and Cooro and Senri looked up from the now sparkling piece of paper. Lockhart raised an eyebrow at Seamus, who was being the loudest.

"Yes?" Seamus managed to reign in his laughter enough to answer.

"Well, they're not very dangerous, are they?" Lockhart waggled a finger at him.

"They can be particularly difficult blighters; don't take them lightly." Neville looked at the cage skeptically.

"I think we had some in the garden. A potion of rose oil and niffler hair got rid of 'em in a week." Lockhart glared at him, before regaining his composure.

"Well, then let's see what you make of them." And he opened the cage.

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"You still in love with Lockhart, Hermione?" Ron asked as they finally escaped from the classroom. They'd been the last ones out, and Lockhart had asked, (more like told), them to get the rest into their cage. Hermione, who knew a kind of Freezing spell, had told the rest and had managed to get the pixies back into their cage. They'd dropped Neville off at the Hospital Wing, as he'd fallen from where the chandelier had hung, and were now heading to dinner.

"Oh, honestly Ron! He just wanted us to get some experience, that's all." Husky scoffed.

"Experience? He didn't look or act like he knew what he was doing." Hermione rounded on him.

"Just look at his books! Look at what he's done!" Ron muttered something under his breath that sounded like "he _says _he's done."

Nana looked up from her discussion with Cooro, who'd been explaining exactly what he'd done to his paper.

"It doesn't really matter, does it? No," she answered herself, "it doesn't. Now the three of you stop acting like children." Husky scowled at being called a child, but didn't speak another word, and they walked into the Great Hall in silence.

Cooro would point out, a few weeks later in the Common Room, that Lockhart didn't bring in any more creatures, and wasn't that great?

He pointed out to Senri that Husky had immediately listened to Nana, and isn't that _interesting?_

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Remus looked over the roster again, then sighed and set it away. There was no Jerard in that office either.

He was lucky to have access to these records. They weren't classified, but few copies existed. He'd pulled a few strings (just because he was a known recluse didn't mean he knew no-one), and gotten a copy made.

Though it seemed fruitless to search this way. He knew there was a spell for it, but he couldn't remember it, and he could find no mention of it in any books.

The photo him didn't remember either, so he instead had began to read. Sighing, he turned to the next department.

_Proper Magical Procedures Office._ He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Sounds like a right boring job… _Procura!" _The spell came to him in a flash. Quickly, he cast it over the papers, saying the spell and following up with the name he was looking for, Jerard.

Finally, four names burst out of the paper, listing the full entry and where they worked. He wrote them down on another paper, then tidied up the register. Finally, he had something to work with.

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"Is this a good idea?" Neville asks for the seventh time. He stands with Cooro, Senri and the twins as they set up a rather odd looking box that is glowing faintly.

"No, of course not. That's why we're doing it." Cooro answers, grinning. He takes pity on Neville's frightened look.

"Relax; it won't hurt anyone, it's just a joke. Besides, you are in no way going to be connected to this. It'll probably me n' the twins that get caught." He relaxes, but only slightly. This was in part because he is holding up another box, while George takes the green bulbs out and, with Fred levitating him around, places the bulbs around the walls and doorways.

Senri is holding Cooro up in the air while he places matching bulbs on the opposite side, as his wings aren't likely to fit in the hall and there's no room to flap them. Besides, he'd explained, the wind would disrupt the plants, and they didn't want that.

They _really _didn't want that. Finally, it is finished, and George picks up the glowing box, hesitates, then throws it in the air. Red powder spills everywhere, and it appears to float, covering every inch of the area while leaving the boys clean.

"Australian delay powder. It'll make the spells we put on the bulbs wait a few hours before activating." Fred explained as he Vanishes the box and hurries them away.

"Added benefits are that it also takes away any traces of the spell caster and won't stick to anything breathing." Neville frowns a bit, glancing back at the innocent looking bulbs. As he watches, they disappear.

"And what will they do, anyway?" He looks at Cooro, who grins at him.

"Well…" The twins turn around, talking while walking backwards towards the Tower.

"It _might…"_

"Hypothetically, of course…"

"Give anyone who walks under them…"

"Flowers for hair."

"Matching their personality."

"Of course."

"Because it's no fun otherwise."

"And it _may…"_

"Potentially…"

"Not wash or be spelled away for at least a month."

"Shorter, of course, if the person showers in acid."

"But we're leaning away from that possibility." Neville blinked. Apparently, Cooro had gained the ability to talk like the twins, and was utilizing it. Senri chuckled, and Cooro beamed at him.

"Fun, isn't it? The twins wanted a widespread prank that couldn't be traced back to them…"

"But Cooro got the idea of flowers. It's so girly we _had _to do it!" They'd reached the Fat Lady, who regarded them with reproach.

"Have you five been up to something?" Senri kept his mouth shut, but the four others all grinned happily.

"No ma'am."

"Wattle bird," George added, and the portrait swung open.

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Cornelius Fudge wasn't easy to scare, according to himself. He'd lived through the war, and anyone who went through that alive and sane was not easily frightened.

It never occurred to him that plenty had seen worse than he did.

Nevertheless, he was scared as he went around for a yearly inspection, pushed to an earlier time in lieu of the recent escape.

The fear didn't come from the dementors; he had his Patronus, a walrus, swimming along next to him that kept them at bay.

No, he was scared of the screaming that came from every cell. He knew they deserved their punishment of constant fear and despair, but couldn't they have the decency to be _quiet _about it?

H reached the top floor, where Black had been. There was screaming here as well, but as he listened, it was of anger, not terror.

"_Pettigrew!_ When the Dark Lord finds you, you'll wish you'd never been born!"

"I'll rip out your eyeballs and fry them on a stick!"

"You'll only wish you were in hell, double-crosser, when we catch you!" And on and on. He shuddered.

The ravings of madmen, no doubt. Pettigrew was dead, and his killer was on the loose.

Behind him, Kingsley Shacklebolt listened with interest, wondering how so many prisoners could possibly believe that Pettigrew was the real traitor, and alive to boot, if it wasn't true.

_Perhaps it is not…_He mused, and decided to pay a certain Alastor Moody a visit.

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He looked around again, jumpy. The centaurs passing, though they hadn't seen him, had made him paranoid of discovery. He was a twitchy thing, and it made his hand unsteady as he looked over the remnants of his last portal.

Nothing had come through it, he was certain, so it had failed. Now he needed to find out what.

Looking back at the book, he reread the spell again, not even wincing at the mention of the blood of an innocent and unicorn blood on top of that. He was simply detached from it.

Finally, he had it.

"Of course! To bring something back, one must…" he grinned, revealing teeth too sharp to be really human.

"Send something in to replace it."


	13. Chapter 13

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Thirteen**

Cooro woke up early on Saturday to a quiet conversation in the next room over. From what he could tell, Oliver Wood was getting Harry up for practice. Cooro glanced at the window; the sun had barely peeked over the horizon.

_Well, that explains why he's complaining._ Cooro, however, decided he wouldn't mind an early flight, and got up, dressing in his old clothes and going downstairs. Harry had already left, so he walked down to the Great Hall in silence. There was food, surprisingly, and a few students were already eating.

_Well, kind of._ Cooro corrected, looking closer. The students in the hall were all older ones, and they weren't eating so much as shoveling food into their mouths while reading a textbook or writing an essay. A few in the corner were even trying out a spell, though he couldn't see what it did from where he stood.

He sat at an empty spot at the table, and reached for an apple and some oatmeal.

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He walked out to the Quidditch field, where he could see both Gryffindor and Slytherin teams practicing at opposite ends of the field. There were only six red and gold players.

Without thought, he sprang up into the air, flying at an easy speed towards one of the twins, who he was fairly sure was George.

"Where's Harry?" George, for it turned out to be him, glanced over, swatting a Bludger away before answering.

"Went to Hagrid's with Ron and Hermione. Ron's wand backfired and hit him with an odd spell. Belching up slugs." Cooro nodded, going higher to get out of the players way and debating whether he should go to Hagrid's or stay in the field.

"Oi! This is for players, not freaks of nature!" He glanced down, to find Malfoy looking at him with disdain.

"Well, that can't be right. You're here, aren't you?" Malfoy glared, pulling up so that he floated in front of him.

"I happen to be on the Slytherin team. You have no business here." Cooro rolled his eyes, then grinned.

"Well, Mr. All-Mighty, why not have a race? A test of sorts, to prove you're better than a 'freak of nature.'" Draco eyed him warily, glancing at his team, then back. Both teams were watching the exchange, ignoring Wood's shouts.

"Where to?" There it was. Cooro would have laughed if he could.

"To the goal posts. There," he pointed to one end, and Malfoy took off. Cooro blasted after him.

The broom was fast, Cooro noted, but Malfoy wasn't a great flier, and it showed in how he handled it. If he'd been facing Harry, he'd have been worried. He sped up, passing Malfoy, falling back, spinning around him a few times to prove his point. They were nearing the posts now, and Cooro watched them carefully.

Malfoy had no eyes for Cooro's antics, only the goal. His mind closed on the posts.

_Closer… closer… There!_ Cooro pulled back, and Malfoy went straight through the goal, knocking his head on the top as he passed and began to fall.

He dove, catching the boy and setting him on the ground, before going for the broom. He gave it to Flint, who stood off to the side, and carried Malfoy back to the castle.

He hadn't meant for him to get hurt; how was Cooro supposed to know he'd develop tunnel vision?

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Madam Pomfrey wasn't pleased when he half dragged Draco to the hospital wing, but she helped him put the Slytherin in bed and shooed him off, turning to her patient.

He walked back to the Great Hall, where he found the others. Husky looked at him as he entered.

"There you are. Where'd you go?" Cooro sat down next to him, grabbing a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Went to watch Quidditch practice. Ron, Harry and Hermione are in Hagrid's hut, though; Ron got jinxed by his own wand." He told them of the race, wincing as Nana admonished him.

"You shouldn't antagonize him! What if he'd been seriously hurt?"

"Then we'd be more worried. Don't fret on it Nana, he'll live to insult us all another day." Husky sounded detached as he pulled the jam towards himself.

She glared at them both, but didn't say a word more. Cooro looked out at the grounds, and laughed loudly. Husky followed his gaze.

All of the first years were playing Capture the Flag together on the grounds.

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Remus sighed, Apparating back to his house and collapsing onto the couch. All day, he'd tracked down every Jerard in the Ministry, and none of them had been anything close to who he was looking for. The elf couldn't have lied, could he…?

"But why would he? If they were trying to frame someone, then sure, but…" He blinked, staring ahead, where an old news article was framed on the wall.

"Maybe that's not the name he used…" He sat there in silence for a long time, mulling over the ideas that rushed into his head. He groaned when he came to his conclusion.

"Polyjuice Potion. Great." He stood and went to the basement, finding the old newspapers and Death Eater records.

"Jerard… Jerard…"

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Malfoy was released from the Hospital Wing not ten minutes after Cooro left, and was rather annoyed. His team would laugh now, and that didn't sit right with the young aristocrat.

Now, in his subconscious, he knew that Cooro wasn't to blame. His own pride had gotten him into this mess. But his subconscious was silenced by the pureblood mania pressed into him from birth, and he found himself thirsty for revenge.

"I'll get him. One way or another."

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Sirius was half asleep when his wards went off. He jumped up, wand at the ready, looking out at where the intruder was trying to get in.

Moody glared at him, but there was an undercurrent of respect there. He held a large box in his arms. Sirius walked out, eyeing him.

"Let me in Black. I've got something for you." Sirius almost let the wards down, before pausing.

"What House were you in in Hogwarts?" Moody grinned, revealing slightly yellow teeth.

"Hufflepuff. Good lad. I see you haven't forgotten everything I taught you." Carefully, Sirius let down the wards, and Moody stepped in, glancing at the chintz armchairs that still sat under a tree.

"I see Albus has been here. Anyway, thought you might be missing these." He held out a box, which Sirius took from him, nearly buckling under the weight.

"And what is it?" He queried, setting it down carefully.

"Your possessions, or what's left of them. I believe that the Ministry confiscated anything of material value that wasn't cursed, but most of it's there. Lupin had a lot of it as well." Sirius looked up.

"Remus? Why?" Moody shook his head at him.

"You were flat mates, before you kicked him out. Something to do with traitors. Anyway, he got to it before the Ministry, so he had most of the things that were worth something." Sirius nodded, wondering exactly what kinds of things Remus would bother to save.

Moody coughed, turning and walking back to the edge of the 'yard.'

"I don't have time to lag here. Just thought you'd want that. Oh, by the way," he added, looking back at him.

"If you're spreading the word of Pettigrew's betrayal, may I suggest writing in to the Quibbler?"

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Luna Lovegood had known, when she got on the train, that she wouldn't be very popular. She knew her ideas were a bit 'outlandish' for the norm, and it would cost her points in the friends department.

So she was rather glad that Ginny Weasley, her neighbor, chose to come talk to her instead of the more 'normal' kids. She said as much, to which Ginny giggled.

"You're more interesting than them, anyway. Even if you _are_ a Ravenclaw."

She had smiled happily, and began to talk about Wrackspurts, ignoring the laughter of the people that overheard her.

After all, one great friend is worth more than a million shallow ones.

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That night, Cooro and Husky watched as Ron and Harry left for detention. They were both subdued; Ron had to work with Filch and Harry was going to help Lockhart. Husky wasn't sure who he pitied more, though he leaned towards Ron, who still belched up the occasional slug.

Nobody was awake to see either of them get back, and subsequently no-one heard Harry tell Ron about the voice that he had heard in Lockhart's office.

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Fred looked at George, then at Cooro, and nodded. The spell had activated, and they all had alibis. That had been the point of the powder, and the twins were pleased it had worked as predicted.

The hallway they'd chosen, abandoned at the time, happened to lead to both the dungeons and the Slytherin Common Room, and it showed as people walked into the Great Hall with begonias sprouting from their heads. No first years had Potions that day, so only the Slytherins were sporting flowers, and they were usually poisonous or rare species.

Madam Pomfrey made a special announcement to the school that there was nothing she could do, so they could stop coming to her. The other teachers agreed, though McGonagall looked like she wanted to choke on her words.

Professor Sprout then asked that anyone wishing to help the Herbology greenhouses to come to her immediately, where she took samples of the flowers and such, trying to determine what had caused the problem as well as grow the cuttings in various pots around her office.

The best part of the prank, however, was Dumbledore himself. He now, instead of long white hair and beard, sported long trails of blue bells, which he charmed to jingle as he walked.

Cooro walked through the hall on purpose, and found himself with a full head of orange blossoms. Nana giggled at it, but refused to gain a head of flowers. The twins went through as well, both receiving celosia for their troubles, and Senri had daffodils blossoming by the weeks end.

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The days seemed to fly past, Cooro thought. In fact, he suspected they were gifted with the wings of crows. He shook his head at the errant thought, concentrating on the task at hand. He was recreating the battle scene again, as Lockhart had either lost or thrown away the first and he was loathe to ask about it.

He drew the goblins carefully, armor and weapons gleaming in the light. He would color it, but he felt it would lost it's spirit when he did.

Husky watched him, bored. They were in History of Magic, and Cooro was probably the closest to paying attention, besides Hermione, who took notes diligently.

He drew the last line with decisiveness, setting down the quill with pleasure. Husky had to admit, the drawing looked good, and Senri, from behind them, nodded his approval when Cooro showed him.

"_Paramouer."_ He muttered, tapping the paper, and as he did so, the warriors moved, streaking through the battlefield and slaughtering their opponents until only one side was left. Then it began anew. Husky was vaguely disturbed that he'd drawn something like that, but it brought to light more of the battle than anything Binns had said before.

Cooro was already looking through a library book he'd borrowed, searching for the spell to give it sound. Husky wondered if the spell would give them actual voices, like the photos, or just the sounds of battle.

"_Efectos sonorous." _He said again, tapping the paper, just as the bell rang. As the students woke from their slumber, the faint sounds of a long lost battle seemed to come from the back, where Cooro was shoving a book into his bag.

"See? I told you it would work, Hermione. You should have more faith in me." Hermione shook her head, torn between annoyance that he hadn't been paying attention and approval that he could do the spell at all, let alone perfectly and on an already spelled object.

Binns watched them go, then turned to his desk, covered in papers. They thought he didn't see things, but he did. Why bother telling them, though? If they didn't want to listen to his subject, then fine. He could deal with that.

As he waited for his next class, he wondered if he could talk the Lupin boy into letting him see the paper. It reminded him of something similar that he hadn't seen in over a decade.

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Dumbledore read the letter over once, twice, then nodded. Remus' theory seemed sound; an old Death Eater was posing as a Ministry official while creating the portals. It accounted for the fact that nobody was reporting the issue and the name that Sirius had inadvertently found.

He sent a letter back with Romulus suggesting that Remus examine any unusual disappearances, in both the Muggle and magical world. They might find their sacrifices.

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Sirius thanked Moody for the thousandth time as he finished looking through the box. Besides plenty of clothes, he'd found his old wand (how he'd managed to get that, Sirius would probably never know), school equipment that was more sentimental than needed, but still useful; Photos and trinkets from the flat, old things he was thankful Moony had taken before.

He wondered if he'd gotten in trouble for relieving the place of it's belongings, but dismissed the thought immediately. He'd been grieving at the time; surely even the Ministry wouldn't be so low as that?

He scoffed, not even believing himself, but moved on. Some furniture, shrunk down to fit, lay near the bottom, and he pulled it out, setting up a chair, table and a bed. Tapping the box a few times, he murmured a few incantations. With the right word, the box would suck everything in the room into itself, resize and fly to him. That way, he could escape quickly should the need arise.

He hoped dearly it wouldn't.

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It was Halloween night, and the entire school was gathered in the Great Hall. Except for eight Gryffindors, who were making their way to one of the lower dungeons.

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Ron grumbled as they passed the large doors.

"Harry promised Nick he'd come, and we're trailing along for various reasons." Husky answered, barely looking up from the threads in his hands.

"What're you doing?" Cooro leaned in, trying to get a closer look.

"Making something; I'll show you when it's done." They arrived at the door, and from inside, the sounds of a musical saw reached their ears.

"Ready?" Neville asked, hand on the door. They nodded, and he pulled it open.


	14. Chapter 14

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Fourteen**

A room full of ghosts wouldn't be anything but terrifying anywhere but Hogwarts, Cooro noted absently as they entered the Deathday party. Ignoring how confusing that thought was, he moved forward, looking for Nick. Or food, whatever came first.

Ghosts danced or floated around, and the few living beings (AKA the children) felt cold in their midst. A few ghosts eyed them in interest, focusing on Harry more than the others, but Nick welcomed them warmly.

Sort of.

"My dear friends… welcome." He bowed to them, looking mournful, but Husky could see the thankful look in his eyes as he nodded to Harry. Apparently living people were a great honor at these things.

From the looks they were getting, Husky confirmed the idea, then began to look for food. He wanted to get to it before Cooro, who he knew had skipped lunch to plot with the twins in their dorm.

Cooro noticed him looking, and took it as a challenge to find the table first.

"There's food over there, you two." Nana rolled her eyes, pointing over to the other end of the room. All eight of them (Neville had been dragged into it as well) began walking towards where she'd pointed. Cooro was bouncing and jumping, practically dancing along, and Hermione muttered to Nana that his markings were glowing enough to light up the room alone.

Suddenly, Cooro stopped, holding out his arms and wrinkling his nose.

"It's rotten." They could see the table better now, and sure enough, everything on it had gone bad. One ghost floated through a platter of haggis, mouth wide open.

"Can you taste it that way?" Ron looked curious. The man looked at him sadly. He was dressed like a bard from the Renaissance, and had a lute in his hands.

"Almost." He drifted off, and Cooro looked over the table carefully, trying to find something that wasn't spoiled.

"Hello Peeves." Harry said, and he looked up to see the resident poltergeist in front of them, wearing as many bright colors as was possible on one person.

"Nibbles?" He held out a bowl of moldy peanuts, and Nana gagged. Hermione shook her head as politely as she could, but she looked rather sick.

"Heard you talking about Myrtle." _When was this?_ Husky wondered, watching Hermione pale slightly. Harry and Ron looked as bemused as he felt, and Cooro was talking to a knight with Senri, ignoring them all. He walked over to them, while Peeves continued to speak.

"_Rude_, talking about Myrtle. Shouldn't talk about people behind their backs. OI! MYRTLE!" Husky winced, and saw out of the corner of his eye a depressed looking girl with thick glasses glide over to where Hermione was pleading with Peeves to keep quiet. Senri turned to him as he walked over.

"What's happening?" He shrugged, listening as Peeves began to yell something and Cooro asked what the knight had done in his life.

"No idea. Something about Myrtle." Senri, who _had _heard Hermione's comments on the ghost, along with nods from Nana, smiled slightly and turned back to the knight, who looked rather pleased with the attention he was getting.

They were joined by the others, and managed to talk to several different guests in the room before Nick stopped the saws and began to make a speech.

He was interrupted by the arrival of several more ghosts on horseback, who were carrying their heads. Nick looked rather annoyed, and the ghost they were talking to, a healer from the American Civil war, told them they were the Headless Hunt. She drifted off after that, spotting someone she knew, and they walked over to where Nick stood. He was trying to talk to the leader, but was being ignored.

As they got close, the man saw Harry, and others, and came over.

"Live' uns! What're you doing here?" From the look on his face, Neville was fairly sure this new ghost was the one Nick complained about. "Sir Properly-Decapitated Podmore.' His real name was Sir Patrick, unfortunately.

"We're attending Nick's Deathday party, of course." Husky said, and Sir Patrick looked at him in slight surprise. The regal tones he usually hid had slipped out a bit there, and as a knight, he'd noticed them. He was about to respond again when his fellows pulled him back, starting a game of Head Hockey. Nick was trying to restart his speech, but no-one was listening.

"Come on, it's freezing in here. Let's go." Ron muttered, and the others nodded, leaving. Nick saw them, but all he did was smile a bit sadly and wave them on. Harry mouthed an apology, and seven children left the room, shivering.

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"I wish that hadn't gone so badly. Nick really doesn't like that guy, does he?" They were heading towards the warmer parts of the castle, and Nana kept glancing back, as though regretting leaving the party.

"No, but it's more because he can't join them than anything else. His head is still attached, and all." Harry noted, before stopping suddenly, looking around wildly.

"I can hear it again!" The others, discluding Ron and Hermione, looked at him in confusion.

"I can hear a voice… it's saying it's going to kill!" He ran off, following it, and the others followed.

"Can you hear anything, Nana?" Husky panted out as they ran.

"Just hissing." _Well. That's odd._ Neville noted, wondering how Harry could hear it better than Nana could.

Harry got to the corridor first, but Hermione saw the bloody writing on the wall.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE.

"It's written in blood." Neville noted distantly, sounding as though he couldn't really believe what he was saying. The nearest window was broken, and the shards of glass lay all around the rock that had caused it. Hanging beside the message was…

"Mrs. Norris. They got Filch's cat." Nana said, and she stepped forward, to take the cat down, when loud footsteps came from the end of the corridor. They looked at each other, and that was when Senri spoke up.

"Where's Cooro?"

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Cooro listened with interest as Moaning Myrtle explained how she'd died.

"Just like that? You never saw anything?" She shook her head. Like most of the ghosts in the room, she seemed rather flattered that he was asking about her death.

"No. The next thing I remember is waking up floating by my body. I haunted Olive Hornby for a long time before she went to the Ministry. Then I came back here." She smiled a bit at him. He grinned back, and was about to say something when Peeves came over.

"Myrtle and Cooooooro, sitting in a tree~" He crooned, and Myrtle's face quickly filled with tears, though it looked like she was blushing as well. She began to wail, and dashed away, Peeves trailing after her. Cooro made to follow, but a feeling of ice on his shoulder made him turn around. The Grey Lady was there, looking as mournful as she always did.

"Don't bother. It'll only egg him on. I have lived here for a very long time, and I've learned that nothing will deter him."

_Somehow, it doesn't sound like you mean Peeves._ Before Cooro could speak, she floated off. Her place was taken by Nick, who smiled at him.

"You didn't have to stick around, lad. This was doomed from the start, when I invited Patrick." Cooro shook his head.

"It was fun! I didn't mind coming." His stomach gurgled. Nick eyed him.

"I am a bit hungry, though." Nick glanced at the food, where several ghosts were gliding through it, trying to taste.

"Ah, I'd forgotten about that. Here's the Friar; I'll ask him to lead you to the kitchens." He flagged down the ghost in question, who, after a brief explanation, was more than happy to lead him there, and kept up a lively commentary on various people they passed, both in the party, and the portraits they passed. Most of the occupants were asleep now, and that was when Cooro realized how late it was.

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They sat in silence in Lockhart's office while Dumbledore examined Mrs. Norris. McGonagall, Snape, Filch and Lockhart were all there, each looking at the seemingly-dead cat on the desk.

Lockhart was babbling out random names of things that had 'definitely done her in,' and Filch was sobbing as each comment came out.

Finally, Dumbledore stood up.

"She's not dead, Argus." Husky lost track of the conversation for a while, everyone was yelling loudly and he wasn't very interested. Instead, he stared into the cat's glassy eyes. After a long moment, be blinked, and redirected his gaze to Snape, who was speaking.

He'd obviously been staring too long; for a moment, he'd sworn he could see a huge snake with yellow eyes reflecting from the cat's gaze.

"But why not join the feast afterwards?" What had he missed this time? "Why go to that corridor?" Ron was opening his mouth to say something, probably a lie about exactly what they'd been doing, when Senri jumped in.

"We were trying to find Cooro. He left earlier than us." The adults blinked, and looked the group over, apparently noticing that Cooro was not among them for the first time.

"So you were… looking for him, and came across this unfortunate scene in the process?" McGonagall asked warily, looking from face to face. They nodded, and Filch began to yell, wanting retribution for his beloved cat. Dumbledore reassured him that she would be fine, when Lockhart jumped in, claiming he could cure her with ease.

_Wasn't he saying she was dead earlier? And that he knew exactly what had both killed and Petrified her a moment later?_ Nana wondered, and began to see the Professor in a different light. She glanced at Hermione, but from the look on her face, she hadn't noticed anything.

Finally, they were let go, and Neville released a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding. At the others looks, he shrugged.

"My gran would _kill_ me if I got a detention, and I think this is a bit more extreme than that. You heard Dumbledore; it was Dark Magic."

"On the other hand, that's probably what cleared us in the first place. I'm fairly sure that when Dumbledore says it's not possible for a second year, he means it." Husky pointed out as they jumped the Vanishing Stair. He looked at Senri for contribution, but found him gone.

"Now where'd_ he _go?" Nana looked around, and shrugged.

"To look for Cooro, I expect. Now," she adopted a business-like manner and looked at Harry, "you're going to tell us what's going on, and what you heard."

An hour of walking, sitting and talking later, the story was told. It wouldn't have taken as long if they weren't waiting for people to leave the Common Room and finally going to the Anima dorm. Ron looked around as Harry finished.

"Nifty, inn'it? Having a basically private room? We still have Dean and Seamus in ours." Husky shrugged. He was used to privacy from others; it didn't really click that they could have been separated.

"Yeah. It'd be a great base of operations if it wasn't, you know, the top of a tower. Me n' Nana are the only ones that could get here with a semblance of speed."

They all turned from their various positions in the room, startled, to see Cooro walking in, Senri behind him, both bearing large bags of… well, large, bulging bags, anyway.

"I brought food! From what Senri said, you lot didn't manage to get anything either, so I got a lot." He spilled the contents onto the bed, and they found the entirety of the feast, charmed to not spill, laid out. He held up some silverware as well.

"Where'd you get all of this?" Cooro looked at Harry, who was eating a drumstick and watching him.

"Gotta have some secrets, don't I?" He grinned and snatched a roll, sprawling next to Senri as he ate. HE was quickly filled in, and frowned a bit, thinking about Myrtle's story. He kept silent for the moment; he wasn't sure yet about it, so why say anything.

He was most interested in the comment on the hissing Nana had heard.

"And Harry could hear words?" They all nodded (the ones that weren't eating, anyway), and he frowned.

"Well, it rules out insanity, I think. You both heard it, just different things. Hmm…" He stayed silent, thinking.

"I can ask Gran, maybe. And you could ask Remus, or your parents. Maybe it's something we just haven't heard of." Neville suggested from the floor. Husky shrugged.

"Not a bad idea." Hermione piped up from her seat next to Nana.

"I can look in the library." This queued eye rolls from Ron and Harry, but as it was a rather good idea, they didn't say anything.

Eventually, they cleared out for bed. The girls departed first, and from what he could discern, Senri was fairly sure they were going to be up talking over the events in their own room. The other three boys left shortly after, yawning. Cooro flopped onto his bed, now entirely devoid of food, and was asleep in moments. Husky stared at him as he changed.

"I'll never understand how he does that." Senri glanced over from where he was climbing into his bed.

"Skill."

_It's short; it is not even a full day, but I'm tired and want to sleep. So here it is._

_Have any of you ever been to the Jack Daniel's distillery?_


	15. Chapter 15

**A Snake in the Nest Chapter Fifteen**

The next few days were full of rumors and theories on the writing on the wall. For the most part, the children were free of suspicion, as most of the other students were of the opinion that it had to be an older student, or an adult.

One theory was that it was Sirius Black, but Cooro quashed it whenever he heard it, spreading the 'fact' that he was still in Russia. He privately told the others that the day Sirius went to Russia "will be the day I clip my wings and join Slytherin."

Nana was the only one who winced at the analogy. The others didn't really know the implications of clipping Anima wings.

Other theories ranged from truly bizarre, like Lockhart being behind it all, to the rather interesting idea that Snape was the one. Hermione had scoffed, and told them that as soon as she could get her hands on a copy of Hogwarts, A History, she could tell them what was really happening.

"I know I read _something_ about it, I just can't remember _what."_ This exasperated her, and if the subject came up, she was liable to fits of annoyance.

Nana was ignoring the whole thing as much as possible, and concentrated on her studies. Now that she looked back at the DADA curriculum, there were several gaping holes in pretty much everything they'd learned. When she'd said as much to the boys one night, Cooro had pulled her into a hug.

"Welcome to the conspiracy. We're glad to have you." He and the others had proceeded to tell her what Remus had said about Lockhart, and made plans to look into his stories for things to discredit him.

"It's not like we're out to ruin him, per say, more just… wanting the truth." Ron said when she looked uncomfortable. There wasn't much research to do anyway, as Hermione was always in the library, and they knew she wouldn't believe without proof.

Cooro was now almost a celebrity to the ghosts of Hogwarts, and they sought him out for conversations whenever he was free. He enjoyed it, and the others, especially Hermione, found their stories interesting. The Fat Friar, especially, was full of tales.

"My real name was Moriarty, but I was called Mort, usually. I died in my sleep one night, but I wanted to keep helping people, so I stayed on Earth. Eventually, I found my way here, and I've never left." He had an excellent memory as well, and remembered the Marauders pranks, which he would share frequently.

Nothing happened, though, really, until the next Wednesday, in History of Magic, of all things.

Now, Cooro and Husky had grown to not exactly enjoy History, but tolerate it with more patience than most of the student body. Hermione always took notes, of course, and Senri, well, it was difficult to tell if he was listening at all.

Today, however, Hermione wasn't taking notes. Instead, she stared at their teacher in silence for half an hour, before raising her hand.

This was unheard of, and it quickly caught the attention of their teacher.

"Yes, Miss…?"

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." The students around her stared in awe (or at least woke up). The Professor blinked.

"This is a history class, not mythology. I deal in facts." He began to talk again, but Hermione raised her hand again. Nana finally woke up, and Husky explained the situation to her. She quickly roused the others that were sleeping, and soon the entire class was watching.

"Don't legends always have some basis in fact, though, sir?" Harry glanced at the teacher, who seemed amazed that someone had the gall to interrupt him. Twice.

"Well, yes, I suppose. But that legend is so fanciful and ludicrous that-" he stopped, looking at the class that was now watching him as though what he said was their only chance of survival.

_Probably the most attention a class has paid in all his years._ Neville thought in amusement. He muttered this in Ron's ear, who snorted.

"Oh, very well…" They sat in silence, hanging on his every word, as he told of the legend. He finished in an annoyed manner.

"This whole thing is nonsense. The school has been searched many times, and there is no evidence that Slytherin ever built a thing. It is a tale for the gullible." Hermione raised her hand.

"What is the 'horror within the Chamber'?" Binns waved a hand dismissively.

"Some sort of monster, which only Slytherin's heir could control." The class looked around, nervous.

"I tell you, it doesn't exist!" Cooro frowned, considering Myrtle's story. What if it had been this monster?

"But sir, if the Chamber can only be controlled by his heir, no one else could find it, could they?" Seamus asked, not bothering raising his hand. Several students nodded.

"Nonsense, O'Flaherty. If no headmaster or headmistress has ever found it-"

"But wouldn't you need Dark Magic to open it?" Nana asked, half to herself.

"Just because a wizard _doesn't_ use Dark Magic, doesn't mean they _can't. _If even Dumbledore couldn't-"

"But maybe you have to be related to him. A family trait of sorts." Husky pointed out, and Ron nodded.

"There's plenty of old magic that won't work unless you're family-"

"_Enough!_" Binns yelled, exasperated. "There is no Chamber! It is a myth! There is no evidence that he built as much as a secret broom cupboard in the school! Now, we will return to solid, undisputable fact, if you please." And he returned to his lecture.

The class fell back into its' doze.

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"So it was Slytherin himself that started the Pureblood mania. Why am I not surprised?" Ron asked the group at large as they walked to dinner.

As Ron continued to talk, Husky noted that Harry paled bit, especially at the part where he said he'd go home if he'd been put in Slytherin. Husky raised an eyebrow at his reaction, but didn't say a word.

A first year by the name of Colin Creevy greeted them, and tried to say something else, but was swept up by the crowd before he could speak.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked, gazing at the place where the boy had disappeared.

"Probably heard some rumors and couldn't wait to tell him, is all." The eight of them were nearing the corridor where Mrs. Norris was attacked when another student neared them. It was a Hufflepuff, Justin Flinch-Fletchley, who looked very nervous when he saw Harry.

"You four are to go to see the Headmaster right away. The password's Lemon Drop." Nana giggled at that, and he seemed become more frightened than before, practically running down the corridor.

"Anyone else notice he avoided the corridor with the writing?" Harry asked dully as the other four walked away with loud greetings.

They reached the gargoyle that hid the entrance to Dumbledore's office, and called out the password. It hopped aside, and they walked in. Cooro called his thanks to it as he passed.

"Honestly Cooro, do you need to talk to every animate object you come across?" Husky asked. Cooro was rather infamous for greeting the armor and portraits.

"Well, it's only polite." They continued to bicker, while Nana rolled her eyes and knocked on the inner door. A voice called them to enter, and she pushed it open, shushing the boys as she did.

Inside, the headmaster smiled at them from behind his desk. He gestured for them to sit. Senri remained standing while the others took the invitation, leaning on the wall instead.

"So, what did you need, Professor?" Nana asked first, while Cooro and Husky continued their argument in muted tones.

"I need, or rather, Remus needs, to tell you something that cannot be entrusted to a letter. He will arrive by Floo in a moment. Meanwhile, would you care for a lemon drop?" He held out a tin of them, and Nana giggled, accepting one.

Cooro, with his perfect food sensors, looked up and took one as well, smiling happily and thanking Dumbledore. Husky rolled his eyes and accepted one as well. Senri didn't.

_Maybe he doesn't like sweets…_Cooro thought, just as the fire turned green and Remus fell through, brushing ash off of his robes. He looked exhausted, and it reminded them all that the full moon had been only a few days before.

"Remus!" He'd barely stood when Cooro barreled into him, nearly knocking him into the fire again.

"Cooro, be careful!" Nana admonished, but she too hugged Remus as he stepped away from the hazardous flames. The other two called out greetings from their places, and Remus waved at them tiredly.

"Hello. I wish this visit was with better circumstances. I managed to find the man responsible for the portal, but I didn't get to him in time. He has gone… off the grid, you might say. No one has seen him in at least a month." he sighed. Husky got the feeling he wouldn't like this next part.

"Now, I knew all of this a few days ago. The reason I'm telling you four is because when I searched his home- don't give me that look Nana- I found plans to try the portal again. I believe he is in the Forest at the moment." Husky frowned.

"Why not go in and find him then? A forest can be searched." Remus shook his head, and Dumbledore answered for him.

"The Forest is, among other things, full of strange magic and creatures. Many would kill or do worse to a wizard that ran into them. No, there are other ways to find this Jerard, which are far less dangerous." Remus nodded, though Cooro saw the barest hint of amusement in his eyes.

"The problem is that while he is there, he may find some link to you four. Inside the castle and on the grounds, you are safe, but I want you to stay away from the Forest at all costs, and be in the castle by nightfall." Nana wondered absently if that included flying, but didn't ask. After all, if she didn't ask, they couldn't say no, could they?

"Fine. Sounds easy enough." Husky said, sounding a bit bored. They were asking them to obey rules that were already, well, _rules. _It was almost a waste of time.

"There is one more thing. I ask that you do not tell the others about this yet." Dumbledore held up his hands as they began to protest.

"I realize you wish to tell them, but it is as much for their safety as yours." Husky glanced at Cooro, raising an eyebrow. Then they both turned to the adults, speaking simultaneously.

"How?" Remus snorted a bit as they deadpanned, but Dumbledore didn't look as amused. Nana thought she could see amusement, though, in his eyes.

"Think. If something was threatening them, wouldn't you go out and defend them by any means necessary? I don't want them going out and risking their lives." Husky sighed. He could see his point, but that didn't make him happy.

Remus saw their grudging acceptance, nodded, and continued to speak.

"In other news, Sirius has now converted several old friends to his side. There are quite a few that didn't really believe he could do such a thing anyway, and questioning under Verituserum told them all they needed to know. He'll be back at my home in a few weeks." Cooro grinned, happy that Sirius was gathering support.

"That is all. Go on ahead to dinner." They left, and behind them, a painting spoke up.

"So it's true? Sirius was innocent?" The door closed before they could look back and see who it was.

At dinner, the others told of their adventure with the spiders and Myrtle's bathroom.

"She seemed right disappointed when we said we didn't know where you were, mate." Ron said at the end of it. Cooro nodded, silently reminding himself to go and say hello soon.

"And then Percy came along. He seemed right annoyed that we were there," he added, munching on a piece of bread.

They waited until they were in the Common Room to tell them why they'd been called to Dumbledore's office. Leaving out the entire first part, Cooro told them of the news about Sirius instead.

"Brilliant! If he gets enough people on his side, maybe they'll clear him!"

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Sirius was annoyed. He'd gotten to most of the people that he wanted to know of his innocence, and they in turn were telling others. All told, he should be happy.

But he wasn't. There were a few more he wanted to tell, and they were in one of the most un-accessible places in Britain: Hogwarts.

He knew it was ridiculous; all he had to really do was owl them, or ask Dumbledore to say something, or just wait for word to spread. But McGonagall and Hagrid… he wanted to tell them in person, as though it would make him more believable.

He crept, in dog form, towards the hut, where he could see lights on. He held the scrap of paper in his mouth, swallowing nervously. Then he shook his head. He was a Gryffindor, was he not?

He trotted to the door, and scratched on it, trying to look as pitiful as he could. It was raining heavily, so this wasn't difficult. The door opened, and Hagrid filled the doorway, looking down at him in surprise. He moved aside, letting Sirius in.

Sirius looked around, noting the place didn't look very different than it had when he'd been in school. Fang, who sat in the corner, raised his head, but lay back down again. He grinned as well as he could in dog shape.

_At least someone remembers me, even if it is Fang._ Behind him, Hagrid was setting down a bowl of water. He turned, ignored the bowl, and set the paper down carefully. Hagrid eyed it, then picked it up, moving over to the fire to read.

Sirius watched his eyes widen, then tighten in anger. He wasn't sure what to make of it, and slipped closer to the door, just in case. Hagrid turned to him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yer not a dog, are ya?" He shook his head slowly, otherwise not moving. Hagrid moved forward, still holding the parchment.

"Change. Now." He did so, and stood there, hands outstretched in a gesture of surrender. Hagrid was still for a brief moment, then pulled Sirius forward into a bone crushing hug.

"Yer an idiot. Why not tell someone?" He asked, releasing Sirius and turning to the kitchen, making a pot of tea.

"Insanity tends to ruin people's ability to listen, and I'm about as insane as they come." Hagrid laughed, and after a moment, so did Sirius.

They talked, of his escape and Hagrid's job and whatever else came up. Finally, Harry came up.

"No, I haven't talked to him in person. Those weird photos did, though, so he at least knows I'm not a bad guy. I want to see him, though." he grinned wryly.

"Unfortunately, I'm supposed to be out of the country right now." Hagrid nodded, then glanced out the window.

"You'd better go now, before someone notices." Sirius nodded, and resumed his dog form, nudging the door open and slipping into the night. But he didn't head off the grounds yet; he had another stop to make before he left.


	16. Chapter 16

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Sixteen**

Now, Sirius, despite what his friends, acquaintances, family, and pretty much anyone who's met him, will tell you, wasn't stupid. He knew breaking into Hogwarts to talk to an old teacher was difficult and foolhardy. He also knew that said teacher was more likely to try and kill him than listen. But as with the various others he'd visited, he wanted to do this in person.

There were many passages in and out of Hogwarts, some of them only accessible to smaller creatures. He headed for one now; a small break in the stones of the wall that hid a long tunnel behind a suit of armor in the dungeons. Not cheerful, but it was useful.

He crept through the castle, ducking into shadows and wishing more than once he had the map with him. Or the cloak. But both were unavailable, so he made do.

McGonagall's office was a place he'd been many times, and it didn't take long to get there. It was late, but if memory served him, she would still be awake, grading papers and planning lessons. He nudged the door, which was open a crack, and light spilled over him. She was indeed inside, but not reading any assignments.

Two red heads, twins by the look of them, were standing there, receiving a lecture on something in silence. None of them looked up as he slipped into the room, sitting in the back and waiting.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor! I am ashamed that you think so low of your House as to do this!" One of the twins spoke up.

"On the contrary, Professor, we think very highly of it." The other also began to speak.

"After all, we _did_ use lions as our theme."

"Don't they look better as lions than old goblins anyway, Fred?"

"Yes, of course they do, George." He wanted to laugh; they reminded him of James and himself when they were in school. McGonagall sighed and sent them out, obviously tired of dealing with them. She looked up and saw him for the first time.

"What are you doing in here?" He walked forward, a fully-written letter in his mouth this time. He set it on her desk, and trotted out the door. He walked slowly, counting in his head.

_Twelve… eleven… _She should be halfway through the letter now.

_Ten… nine… _Scowling in disbelief.

_Eight… seven…_ Staring in shock at the information about the Animagaus.

_Six… five… _Finishing the letter, pondering.

_Four… three… two… one…_Footsteps sounded behind him, and he grinned, beginning to run. She would hate him for this, but it was too much of a temptation. She called after him in a quiet, but annoyed voice.

"_Sirius Black, you stop right there!"_ Well, there were no curses, so she must at least want to hear him, right? He stopped and turned around. She glared at him, and gestured back at her office in silence. He trotted ahead of her, sitting in front of her desk as she walked in and closed the door.

She sat, looking at him carefully, before sighing.

"Well? You're the one that wanted to talk so badly; so talk." Without hesitation he changed, standing up and grinning.

"What shall we talk about?"

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Hermione hadn't wanted the Anima to know of the plan to use Polyjuice Potion, simply because of how difficult it would be to sneak eight people into the Slytherin Common Room. So when Neville told them, she was annoyed. Husky dismissed it immediately.

"We couldn't take it anyways; immunity to human potions, remember?" Oh. She hadn't thought of that. The four of them that would actually use the Potion discussed it in length, debating how to get the book and who to imitate. The other four claimed to be going to bed, retreated to the 'Anima Dorm,' (named by Ron) and talked over what to do about the person in the woods.

"They might be the one behind the attack. I don't think Malfoy is capable of it." Cooro pointed out, sprawled over his bed and staring at Nana upside-down.

"Yeah, but don't tell the others that; they get mad when you don't believe their theories, I've noticed. Remember with Snape?" Nana added, watching to see how long Cooro could stay upside-down like that. They all nodded, and Husky frowned.

"So, what are we going to do about it? Obviously they're going to be watching the Forest closely to see if anyone is going in, but what if they miss someone coming out?"

"We can't go near it; the Forest's huge! How would we find someone in there?" Senri spoke up as he entered from the bathroom.

"We'll wait and see; if something happens, we'll take a look. Fair?" They all nodded, and Nana left to go to her own room before Hermione noticed she was missing.

Cooro looked out the window at the rain, and for a moment, could have sworn he saw a large black dog running towards the Whomping Willow.

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DADA. Their first year, it had been a favorite of most students. Now, only the girls looked forward to it. The classes were now devoted to learning about Lockhart's books, and Harry was often dragged up to the front of the class to play whatever role was needed in the act.

He was being a werewolf today, and apologized to Remus in his head as he did so. But they needed Lockhart in a good mood. He could see from the corner of his eye Ron and Neville keeping Cooro from speaking up against the professor.

Nana muttered to Husky as they watched.

"If all it takes is a charm, even a complicated one, wouldn't it be all over the papers? I think he's full of dung." He nodded, but said nothing, as Hermione was right in front of them, watching with rapt attention. They were going to get the book needed for the potion today, which was the only reason he wasn't speaking up. Perhaps next class.

The Anima left the others to get the paper, and discussed the homework as they walked to lunch.

"We have to write a _poem?_ What on Earth goes on in his head?" Husky ranted as they walked. He didn't like poetry in the slightest. Cooro laughed at that.

"Hey, at least he can't take points because your poetry is bad. Now, has anyone found out how to turn an animal into a chair?" As they discussed this (it was McGonagall's essay assignment for next week), they reached the Great Hall. Cooro was pulled away to talk with the twins, and could only grin sheepishly before helping them plot.

Husky could only laugh, and as they sat down Nana was drawn into conversation with a few other girls in their year. The others joined them soon after, and from the looks on their faces, the venture had been successful. Hermione's bag bulged out a bit more than usual, lending credit to that idea as well.

They ate quickly and then, under the pretense of wanting to finish an essay, left. Cooro watched them go, then apologized to the twins and ran after them.

They ran into Myrtle's bathroom, and hid in a stall. He was about to go in as well when Myrtle came out of hers, looking around at the noise. She spotted him, and smiled.

"Cooro!" She floated down from her perch, sitting down on a sink. He grinned at her.

"Hello Myrtle. How've you been?" He settled on the floor. Lunch was barely started, so he could stay for a while.

"Oh, it's been dreadful." She said this cheerfully, though, and continued. "Those three came in here asking if I'd seen anything Halloween, but I said I was still at the party. Rather disappointed, they were. Peeves keeps making fun of me." She let out a wail at that.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I tried to visit earlier, but I had a bunch of homework. I'll try and visit more, okay?" She nodded happily, and spent the rest of the period discussing the laws regarding ghosts and haunting. He was sad when he had to go to Charms, and Harry had to half drag him out.

"Honestly, Cooro, how are you friends with her? She's rather gloomy." He scowled a bit at him.

"She's nice when I talk to her, and she's interesting." They didn't speak of it anymore, partially because Hermione's muttering on how they would get the ingredients was very distracting.

Cooro, right before they entered Charms, turned to them, a pompous look on his face.

"I would like you four to know that I will have nothing to do with your stealing of ingredients. Please do not attempt to dissuade me." He lost the look after a moment.

"If you want help though, Nana used to be a thief." He walked in before they could react. Nana stuck out her tongue at him when he entered.

"Not nice, Cooro. Now I'll have to help." He only shrugged.

"Thought you could use some practice. Hey, do I smell apples?" Husky rolled his eyes and handed over the apple in his hands. It was devoured in seconds, and Cooro threw the core across the room into the rubbish bin just as Flitwick walked in. The core sailed over his head and landed with a loud thunk. He looked out at the class and, seeing Cooro looking sheepish, smiled.

"Nice aim. Now, today we'll be discussing…"

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Dumbledore couldn't decide whether he was proud or disapproving of Sirius as McGonagall walked in, telling him of her late-night visit. He'd already spoken to Hagrid not an hour before.

"So it's the truth?" He couldn't help but wonder why she was asking; if she didn't believe him, Sirius would be standing bound and gagged in front of him.

"Yes, it is. I believe he is going around telling those he trusts most about his innocence in person." He didn't say she was the last to know; how did you say such a thing? She nodded, digesting the information, then asked him one more question.

"He's stirring up a lot of trouble; why?" He sighed.

"Sirius plans to go at Pettigrew as soon as he's up to full health. He is getting as many as possible on his side, and is going to send the entire country into an uproar to scare him out of hiding." She frowned.

"Won't that send him further into hiding?" He smiled slightly.

"If there's one thing I've learned about people, Minerva, it is that they tend to do the very thing that sets them in most danger."

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It was Saturday, and time for the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. They all went into the stands early to get seats, and watched the team captains try and break each others arms in a handshake.

It became obvious that the new brooms the other team had were helping immensely, though Cooro pointed out to Ron that their team was still playing better. Harry and Draco were flying circles, looking for the Snitch, when a Bludger came and flew straight at Harry. George hit it away. It came back, and he hit it again. Fred flew over and thwacked it just as it came for a third round. Most of the crowd hadn't noticed, but Senri pointed it out to the others.

"Did someone bewitch it?"

"Can't; it's powerful magic needed to mess with them. Nothing a student could do." It began to rain. At this point, Harry was simply trying to avoid the obviously tampered-with ball. Cooro looked all around the pitch, and saw a small creature in a deserted area, pointing at the ball. It looked at him, eyes widening, and vanished.

The ball continued to chase after him.

A time out was called, but even Nana couldn't hear over the crowd. Wood and Harry argued for a minute, with the twins joining in, before Wood nodded, said something to Mme. Hooch and they took off.

The rain was obscuring their vision, and Harry was rising higher and higher… Husky could feel himself unconsciously wanting to grow gills and swim.

"_He sees the Snitch!_" For someone who didn't really like Quidditch, Cooro could really get into it. Or was it Ron? Never mind, it didn't really matter.

_Maybe it was Neville… Gah!_ Husky shook his head, frowning, as Harry caught the Snitch, then fell, hitting the mud and appearing to faint. Without a word, they all ran down to the pitch, joining the crowd of other Gryffindors and the team. Harry awoke as Lockhart joined them and groaned.

"Not you…"

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Husky groaned aloud as they left the Hospital Wing.

"Honestly, that man is an idiot." Hermione, for once, didn't jump to defend him, and instead frowned.

"Why would he do that anyway? We have a nurse for a reason." Ron scoffed.

"Haven't you noticed? He's an attention hound. Probably why he won't leave Harry alone; he's more famous." Neville nodded, leading the way to the Tower, where a celebratory feast was being… well, celebrated.

"He doesn't go anywhere without a press release, have you noticed?" He held out his hands dramatically.

"Gilderoy Lockhart: Using the bathroom! Reading the paper! Pretending to teach his class!" They laughed, and even Hermione couldn't help a chuckle.


	17. Chapter 17

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Seventeen**

The next morning, Colin Creevy was found to have been attacked in the night.

"Why him? He's a bit overbearing, but not dangerous!" Nana all but yelled when the news reached them in the Common Room the next morning.

"Probably in the wrong place at the wrong time, like we were with Mrs. Norris." Husky pointed out. He looked far less worried than the others, which Ron pointed out immediately.

"They can cure him, right? I'll start to worry when there's more permanent damage." In truth, he was exceptionally nervous about the news. If Whatever-It-Was was attacking students now, nobody was safe. On the other hand, now the four of them were probably going to try and find this Jerard that was hiding in the Forest.

He couldn't decide what was worse.

Harry told them of the events in the Hospital later that day, when the four Anima went with them to Myrtle's bathroom. She was, oddly enough, missing, and Cooro was rather gloomy when he realized it. He didn't say anything, though, and soon was just as happy as normal.

They watched as the others set up the potion, having decided that the bathroom was the best place for it.

"Your dorm would be better, but you don't want to be involved, the potion smells and the Tower isn't the easiest to get to when we'd need to brew this." Hermione explained as she conjured the waterproof fire for the potion.

Neville was rather quiet, which prompted Cooro to ask him what was wrong. After a long moment of silence, he looked up from the book that lay in his lap.

"It's only that most people think I'm a Squib. They went for Filch first, so… I guess I'm scared." He looked back down. "I'm a lousy Gryffindor, aren't I?" They looked at each other, a bit awkwardly, before Cooro spoke.

"That's not true. Bravery isn't not being afraid; it's being able to go on through that fear." Harry took over from there, sitting next to Neville.

"Besides, you told us, remember? That's brave right there." Neville's eyes widened a bit, and then he smiled wider than any of them had ever seen.

They continued to talk over theories about the Chamber, what it held, who had opened it and who was opening it now. Cooro, who had already told Nana, Husky and Senri about Myrtle's tale, doodled on a bit of parchment, wondering if he should tell them his idea.

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It was Christmas, and the four Anima had a dilemma; stay at Hogwarts, or ask Remus if their invitation was still open. Husky reasoned that it was, seeing as they'd stayed all summer, but Nana was still nervous about sending the letter asking permission. Cooro sent it anyway, and permission was sent back within two days.

Nana was still berating him as they walked to Potions. It was the last class before break started, which took the edge off her annoyance, but she was still a bit embarrassed that Cooro had sent the letter, and wouldn't let it go.

Normally, Hermione would have distracted her, but she and the other three boys were strangely preoccupied. Husky determined the cause to be something to do with the Potion, as they hadn't said a word.

They were working on Swelling Solutions, and Malfoy was entertaining himself by flicking pufferfish eyes at Harry and Ron, who were sitting closest. Finally, annoyed, Husky gathered them all up and almost threw them into Malfoy's cauldron, but from a warning glance from Senri, shoved them into his robes instead.

"Ah! Professor!" Malfoy jumped up, spilling eyes everywhere. Snape gathered them with a lazy flick of his wand.

"Husky shoved them down my robes." He looked smug, knowing that his status as Snape's favorite would guarantee Husky getting a detention.

"I was only returning them. He accidentally threw them all at Ron and Harry." Husky said in an innocent voice. His eyes, however, were cold. Snape glared.

"Regardless, that was not the proper way to return lost possessions. Five points from Gryffindor." Husky rolled his eyes, then glanced at Senri, mouthing 'why?' when Senri looked up.

"Very explosive with bowtruckle legs." He muttered back, and Husky grinned, jotting down the fact.

Not ten minutes later, soon after Snape berated Harry for a bad potion, there was indeed an explosion. It wasn't Malfoy's cauldron, though, but Goyle's. Nana noticed Hermione sneak off as she ducked to avoid the flying potion. Most of their area of the room was untouched, but Cooro's ears had been hit, and were now the size of a young elephant's. He didn't seem bothered, and swung his head around to make them swing.

"Whee~" He was half-dragged over to Snape's desk for the antidote. Husky was about to berate him when he saw that Cooro's attention was on Hermione, who had snuck back in with her robes bulging. Husky shook his head.

"_I _could give her lessons, and that's saying something." Cooro grinned, nodding.

"We'll help next time. If they don't have another ridiculous idea. Malfoy is too obvious a suspect." Husky shook his head, shoving Cooro back into his seat as Snape threatened the class with expulsion if he ever found out who threw what appeared to be a firework into the cauldron.

He looked directly at Harry.

They didn't get a chance to ask what they'd needed so badly, because the moment the others snuck away to work on the Potion, McGonagall called Senri over for a word, and the others waited for him.

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"Senri. You are nearly seventeen, correct?" He nodded, and she continued briskly.

"At seventeen, a witch or wizard is considered a legal adult, and the laws regarding underage magic are null and void. We have never had a student in second year who is near adulthood, so I must give you this option." She breathed carefully, then went on.

"You can leave Hogwarts, find an occupation, or you may continue classes here." She held up her hand when he opened his mouth.

"Don't answer now; think about it for now. I will need an answer by your birthday. When is it, may I ask?"

"June fourteenth." She nodded, patted his shoulder and walked away.

"What was that about?" Cooro asked as they walked to dinner. They were very late, and gathered a few odd looks as they walked in.

"Nothing. Just classes."

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Sirius smiled happily as he walked up the familiar stoop, reaching the door and throwing it open loudly, calling out "_Hoooonnneeeey, _I'm home!"

He was met by a wand tip, before it disappeared and was replaced by a split-second look at Remus before he was engulfed in a set of arms.

"Sirius! Don't _do _that!" His rebuke lost it's strength through the hug, though, and Sirius laughed. Remus pulled back, yanking away his one bag and waving it away with his wand. He examined Sirius carefully, and Sirius shifted awkwardly.

"Er… Moony, you know that's creepy, don't you?" He was ignored. Remus continued his scrutiny, before nodding to himself.

"Food. Now. Come on." He grabbed his wrist, and dragged him into the kitchen, sitting him down and turning away. Sirius smiled happily once again.

This feeling, one of comfort and happiness, was one he hadn't had in a long time. It was a feeling of home.

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The compartment felt a lot smaller with only four of them in it, Husky noted, staring out at the white hills as the train rolled out of the station. The Potion was done, he knew, and they planned on using it over break. He was glad they were going to be far away, should it all blow up in their faces.

"So, should we go looking for the guy in the Forest?" Nana asked as soon as they were moving.

"They said this has happened before; it's probably not him." Husky pointed out, looking away from the window.

"And we were told explicitly not to go there; he's probably very dangerous." Nana noted, glancing at the ceiling as she thought.

"Besides, Dumbledore and Remus are looking for him. I doubt he can hide long." Cooro put his two cents in, looking up from a borrowed chess set he and Senri were playing with. The other two looked at each other, a bit sheepish. They'd both forgotten they had adults that would actually help them, not get in the way.

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He glanced around again before coming out of his hiding-place. Centaurs would be a problem. On the one hand, they could interrupt at a crucial moment, and on the other, he couldn't lay wards or they were sure to notice.

He ran to the edge of the anti-Apparation spells, and Dis-Appareated, reappearing at his home. It was practically empty, only containing a bed, table, chair and many stacks of books. He pulled one out and flipped through it again, hoping to find something of use.

He was about to call it a night and return to the Forest for the night when a small scrap of paper fluttered out of the book. He picked it up.

_The barrier between this world and the next is something that no wizard has ever been able to fully comprehend. The closest they have come is being able to create a portal of sorts, a veil in an archway, located in the department of Mysteries._

_Do not be deceived, it is a one-way barrier, and the one-way is to death. However, people who have seen death or lost someone special have been reported to have heard voices whispering behind the veil. They cannot understand what is being said._

_There are several theoretical ways of reversing this portal, to speak to or raise the dead, but none have been tested, as they require almost endless bounds of magic and the sacrifice of another wizard._

_The spells, once they were revealed to have this sacrifice as a crucial point, were supposedly destroyed, but one record remains. It is hidden in the department of Mysteries._

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Sirius sat in his old bedroom, noting that besides cleaning and his bag, it was no different. His clothes still hung in the closet, and everything from the blankets to the lone photo on the wall were the same.

The photo was of the wedding, a secret shot by Molly Weasley of his dragging Remus into a dance, both laughing. They'd been a bit tipsy, not quite drunk. James and Lily both danced as well, too lost in each other's eyes to notice their friends a few feet away.

"You can talk to them, you know. Before I send it to Harry." He jumped, looking back at Remus, who walked into the room, leaving the door open. Sirius vaguely wondered if it was still charmed as well.

"They want to talk to you. Not the photo you, but the real one. You should talk to them." He blinked, realizing that Remus was still talking.

"I will. Just… not yet. Are you off now?" Remus nodded.

"Yeah. I'll be back in about an hour, and then you can meet them yourself." He began to walk out, then turned back.

"One more thing. Did you ever visit the Weasleys? It'd be easier to talk to Molly if you did." He left before Sirius could answer. He turned to watch the picture again.

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"We have a guest, by the way." Remus said as they stepped out of the fireplace. Nana set her trunk down quickly, and didn't stop Senri as he took all four to their rooms. Cooro took his away and followed him.

"Who?" Husky asked, taking the various other bags Remus had had and walking to the kitchen to put them away. He got his answer, in the form of Sirius Black sitting at the table, talking with a photo.

"Sirius!" He grinned at him, but didn't move to greet him beyond that. He didn't know this Sirius that well, after all. Instead, he went to put the groceries away.

As he moved away from the doorway, a breeze brushed his back, and he heard an 'oomph!' Glancing over, he saw Cooro was already back, and didn't seem to have any qualms hugging an almost-stranger.

"You're back!" Sirius looked a bit uncomfortable, and glanced at Remus, who shrugged, trying to stifle his laughter.

"I left?"

"Yes. You went very far away, and we all missed you." he told him matter-of-factly, letting go and helping with the last of the food.

From the photo, four teenagers laughed.

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"So that's how they got here? A failed portal for Voldemort?" Remus nodded.

"And whoever did it is planning on retrying it?" Another nod.

"How?"

"I'm not an expert on the subject, but I believe that he plans on sacrificing someone with magic to pull Voldemort through. A trade of sorts." Sirius frowned, trying to remember what he'd known on the subject.

"There's more. Dumbledore looked into the nature of these, as we know Voldemort isn't actually dead. He has found that if the spell works, and lets one that is dead walk again, it will also let one that isn't quite dead become fully alive." Sirius looked up swiftly.

"You mean…"

"Voldemort would be at full power, with at least one ally at his back and plenty of Death Eaters still alive to pull to his ranks. Not only that, but he would gain the power, memories and possible likeness of whoever was killed in his stead. He would be essentially impossible to find." Sirius began to pace the room.

"There aren't very many texts on raising the dead, as the general opinion is that it's impossible. But there are a few, ones so old that even the Ministry doesn't remember they exist. I think there are some at Grimmauld Place; I'll take a look later." Remus nodded, and they lapsed into lighter topics.

Neither heard nor saw Nana as she slipped back up the stairs, thoughts of a glass of water forgotten.


	18. Chapter 18

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Eighteen**

"That's just great. We have a homicidal Death Eater running free with plans to resurrect the most dangerous Dark Wizard if the age. Added to that, if he succeeds, he will have every tool he needs to become undetected while he gathers his supporters." Husky groaned, laying back onto the bed. Nana sat on the chair, shaking slightly. She looked up at Husky.

"We can't just ignore this. I know we were told to stay out of it, but there is no way to just leave this alone. We can track them down a lot easier than they can. Even if Remus is a werewolf, he can't go to the Forbidden Forest for a very long time. It'll be suspicious if he does."

"And Sirius is still being hunted by most of the Ministry of Magic. He should lay low for a while longer." Cooro added from the windowsill, as he looked out at the snow. He turned back to them, eyes dark.

"So, what can we do?" Nana responded immediately.

"We'll go to the Forest. The centaurs will have noticed if there's a strange man in the Forest, and if they haven't, they can look." Husky grinned, but it was grim.

"I doubt they want this guy there. As long as we're not rude, they should at least keep an eye out." Nana nodded, then continued.

"Meanwhile, we can try and find out about this Veil. From the name, I'll guess that information won't be easy to come by, but looking can't hurt." Cooro looked thoughtful.

"Maybe we can get a look at those books Sirius mentioned. Hopefully, he'll bring them around." He paused, frowning a bit. "I think that we should try and get them to tell us." Husky opened his mouth, and Cooro held up his hands in protest.

"Hear me out. Maybe they'll say something; it is our business, after all. We can at least try." After a moment, the others nodded.

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They sat around the table eating dinner, four days before Christmas, when Cooro finally asked the question.

"Did you find out anything new about the portal?" He didn't look up from his lasagna, and the other three pretended not to see the look shared by the two men. Finally, Remus sighed a bit, meeting their eyes.

"Not much. We have some theories, though. And as they're Dumbledore's, I believe they are fairly credible." He took a bite of food, then continued. Sirius stayed silent, wondering how much he'd reveal.

"We believe that he will try again, using a wizard or witch to reopen the portal. This time, it would be a trade of sorts, which raises the possibility of success, unfortunately.

"There is a Veil, in the Ministry, that links life and death. Only one way, but those who have seen death can hear their voices, whispering. There are a lot of theories of reversing death using it, but they never worked." He shook his head, scowling.

"Now, we'd like to dismiss it all, but as Voldemort isn't entirely dead, the chances of it working are far greater. Not only that, but he would basically become the person that was traded for him." Sirius jumped in here.

"We're looking for those spells, and considering who my family was, I'll bet there's something. At the very least, we'll have an idea of how long we have." Cooro leaned forward.

"Can I help look? For information, not the actual guy." Remus looked at Sirius, who hesitated.

"It's Sirius' decision. His house, you see." Husky eyed Cooro, wondering if he would push too far.

"Okay. Thanks for considering it." He continued to eat. Sirius was silent for the rest of the meal while the others spoke of school. Nana snapped her fingers abruptly as they finished.

"That reminds me; are you going to send that photo to Harry soon?" Sirius looked up, staring at Remus. Remus didn't notice, answering as he collected the dishes.

"For Christmas. We'll keep the other one, I suppose. For quick contact, should something occur with the portal or the Chamber of Secrets. Petrified, you said?" Nana launched into what they knew (not much) and skirted over what the other four were doing (quite a bit more).

_I have until Christmas to talk to them. Four days._ Sirius headed to the living room where the others were waiting, wishing he had more time.

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"The Weasleys are coming over for Boxing Day, Sirius. I want you to tell them, preferably soon after they arrive so we can all have a nice day."

Sirius looked up from his coffee, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to kick me out of your lovely home? Get me killed so you can enjoy your nice little domestic life?" He leaned back dramatically, throwing his hands over his face.

"I bet you have a secret lover, waiting for my death to sweep you off your feet!" Remus rolled his eyes, setting down the plate of eggs in front of him and sitting on Sirius' lap, throwing his arms around his neck.

"Oh darling, you know you're the only one for me!" He kissed his cheek loudly. A giggle from the doorway alerted them to another's presence. They both looked to find Nana standing there, covering her mouth. Remus jumped up, going back to the stove and continuing to make omelets while Sirius leaned back and sipped his coffee.

"Am I… interrupting something?" Nana asked, staying in the doorway. Remus glanced over at Sirius, who looked back at him for a moment, before they both laughed.

"No, you're just fine Nana. Sit down. How do you like your eggs?" She sat down across from Sirius, a bit awkwardly, answering, "Over easy." Sirius looked over at her.

"You okay?" She jumped, looking over at him.

"Yeah. Surprised, but I'm fine." He laughed.

"We've heard worse answers. Remember that fourth year, back in Hogwarts?" Remus shook his head at the memory, setting the food in front of Nana and sitting down with his own.

"Yelled rather loudly, too. I think most of Scotland knew in the end." Remus laughed, continuing to eat his breakfast. Sirius finished, picked up his dishes, and walked over to the sink.

"I'll go and tell them now. If Molly doesn't kill me, I'll be back by lunch."

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Molly Weasley liked to think herself an understanding person. She had seven children; it was practically a must.

So when the letter arrived on her doorstep, saying that a person she once knew had something to say, and to keep an open mind, she tried to do so.

When Sirius Black appeared on her doorstep, however, hands in the air and looking rather nervous, she wasted no time in Stunning him.

"Black. What made you think you could just show up here?" She glared at him. He stared back, his eyes shining bright.

"You _murdered_ thirteen people! You betrayed James and Lily! You-" She stopped, staring at the prone man in front of her. He had closed his eyes, and a few tears leaked out. This wasn't the behavior she expected from him.

"You sent the letter, didn't you? You wanted to talk." He opened his eyes. They seemed to be trying to convey something. Sadness? Regret? Slowly, she raised her wand again.

"I'm going to free your mouth. You'll tell me the truth, and nothing else. If you lie, I'm sending you to Azkaban." She levitated him inside onto the couch, then waved her wand again. Ropes bound him hand and foot, but he could move. The moment he was free, he began to talk.

"It was Pettigrew. He was the Secret Keeper, not me. We traded at the last minute, didn't tell anyone. He killed those Muggles, not me." He stopped, letting her digest the information. She thought of what she knew of both Pettigrew and Black. How Peter was always looking out for himself, while Sirius risked his life to defend anyone, even strangers.

The ropes disappeared, and Sirius was engulfed in a tight hug.

"Sirius! Oh, I hoped it wasn't you! But the explosion, and Peter dead-"

"He's not dead. He's in hiding." She blinked, but nodded and stepped back, regarding him.

"You're not _too_ thin, I suppose, but you still need food. Come on, we'll have brunch while I Owl Arthur."

Twenty minutes later, he was sitting at the kitchen table, a vast selection of food in front of him, with Molly sitting on the other side, urging him to eat and asking questions.

"Where've you been? I doubt you were _really_ in Russia, though it was a good ploy. Political red tape and all." He grinned, remembering how Moody had laughed at that.

"I was in Hawaii for a while. Stayed away from Muggles, tried to get the pasty white out of my skin. I just moved to stay with Remus a few days ago." She blinked, not expecting this.

"Remus? We're going over to his home for Boxing Day." She suddenly shook her head. "Would that be why you're here?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Sort of. I was planning on visiting, Remus just set a deadline. I wanted to wait for the holidays to be over, to avoid the kids, but from what I can see, that isn't a problem."

"They decided to stay at school this year. A bit odd, with the attacks, but they're out of my hair." She leaned back in her chair.

"Eat!"

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It was well after noon when Sirius returned, laden with leftovers and a few books he'd picked up on his way back. Senri relieved him of most of them, walking to the kitchen as Sirius followed, eying Senri oddly.

The others were sitting there, making dinner and working on homework.

"Thought you'd be back by lunchtime, Sirius." Remus commented from where he was reading over Husky's essay.

"Molly wanted to talk. And feed me. A lot. Those plates are what's left of what. I also dropped by Grimmauld Place; got some books." Cooro glanced up sharply.

"Isn't that dangerous? Being out in public in the middle of the day?" Sirius shrugged, setting down the books.

"I was fine-" Remus glared at him, finally speaking.

"You were_ fine?_ You're a _fugitive_, Sirius! Please tell me you at least used a disguise." Sirius returned the glare.

"That's what I was saying, if you hadn't interrupted me. I'm not that stupid, Remus." Remus deflated a bit, looking back down at the table. Sirius grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hall, where they talked for a while before reentering the room.

Cooro was charming the paper in front of him to flash random colors and messages. Sirius walked over.

"How'd you manage that?" Cooro looked up from it, grinning. He explained the complicated process of laying the different charms so that they didn't cancel each other out.

This led him to show him the goblin war paper. It had received another charm to be silenced so as not to annoy people when it fell out randomly. Cooro performed the counter-charm, and the sounds of the war filled the room. Sirius was impressed, and said so.

"I just wish I had the original one. It was better." Remus looked over.

"Where is this original?" Husky told them of the incident of Lockhart's test, and the various answers they'd given. By the end, Remus looked amused, Sirius was roaring, and Nana was serving out dinner.

After eating (most of the meal was telling stories from school, from all parties), Sirius laid out the books he'd gotten, showing Remus. Remus winced at some of the titles.

"Necromancy? I though that was just a myth." Sirius shook his head, grinning a bit.

"If it's a dark, depressing, altogether evil myth, the Ancient and Most Inbred House of Black has roots in it." Despite himself, Remus chuckled. He picked up the aforementioned book and sat back to read.

Cooro walked in, and cleared his throat. When neither men looked up, he shrugged, grabbed one of the books from the pile and sat down, beginning to read.

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Jerard eyed the castle from his perch, debating. On the one hand, it would be far easier to kidnap a child than a fully-trained wizard. But on the other, if he did, he would have far less time to work. All the child would have to do was one bit of accidental magic, and the Ministry would get him.

He looked at the castle again. There were rumors of the Chamber being open again. Quiet ones that sounded incredible to anyone that heard them, but they were there. Perhaps, if he did this right, he could blame it on the creature?

He slipped back into the Forest. If he did do that, it would have to wait. Wait until the castle was packed, and one missing student wouldn't be nearly as noticeable.

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"I found something!" Cooro yelled abruptly, holding out his book triumphantly. It was Christmas Eve, and they'd decided to finish the pile so as to get the books out of the house soon. Now, the others stared as Cooro read out loud the entry he'd found.

"_The barrier between this world and the next is something that no wizard has ever been able to fully comprehend. The closest they have come is being able to create a portal of sorts, a veil in an archway, located in the department of Mysteries._

"_Do not be deceived, it is a one-way barrier, and the one-way is to death. However, people who have seen death or lost someone special have been reported to have heard voices whispering behind the veil. They cannot understand what is being said._

"_There are several theoretical ways of reversing this portal, to speak to or raise the dead, but none have been tested, as they require almost endless bounds of magic and the sacrifice of another wizard._

"_The spells, once they were revealed to have this sacrifice as a crucial point, were supposedly destroyed, but one record remains. It is hidden in the department of Mysteries._

"So… the information we need is in the Ministry itself." Remus sighed, leaning back.

"Hey, there's only the entire Ministry; who's all looking for you, by the way, whatever defenses the records will have, Dumbledore's eventual protests on our strategy, and of course Jerard himself to get past. Nothing to it, really." Sirius pointed out, trying to be cheerful.

"Nothing at all." Cooro marked the page carefully, then looked at them sternly.

"Stop that!" They both looked up from wherever their thoughts had lead.

"Now, you're going to write and tell Dumbledore. After that, we're going to ignore this until after the Weasleys leave. No talking, discussing or ever _thinking _about it until then. Got it?" Remus and Sirius looked at each other, then back, nodding.

Then they all burst into laughter.


	19. Chapter 19

A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Nineteen

**Without the many Weasley children with them, dinner was quite a bit quieter than any of them expected. The moment Molly entered the house, Sirius and Remus found themselves swept into a big hug, with Molly babbling something unintelligible.**

**She moved on through the children, though their hugs weren't as long nor as awkward. Arthur settled for shaking their hands.**

"**Hello Arthur. I heard you found some interesting things in Malfoy's manor a few days ago." Remus led them inside, hanging up coats and scarves.**

"Yes. It was, err… an anonymous tip-off to look under the dining room. Quite a horde of things." He told Remus of the things he'd found, which were rather gruesome. Molly was fussing over Sirius.

"You still look a bit peaky. I have some good soup that'll help that. Honestly, don't they feed people in Azkaban?" She paused, looking a bit sheepish. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Sirius cut her off.

"Peaky? I'll have you know that I spent several months in Hawaii! I'm as tan as they come! And Remus has been forcing food down my throat since I got here. Soon I'll be as fat as old Slughorn!" She relaxed, and they went to eat.

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"Say hi to Harry for me!" Sirius called as they left through the Floo, before turning back to his book. It gave no clue as to where the spells were, except that they were somewhere in the Department of Mysteries. Which was huge, and well-guarded. He'd looked at this particular manuscript at least four times, and hadn't found a thing.

"I feel like Moony…"

"Miss me already?" He jumped, whirling around to see Remus emerging from the fire again.

"You're back already?" Remus frowned, glancing at the clock.

"I've been gone for an hour. You didn't notice?" Sirius held up the book in answer. Remus sighed, and pulled the book away, setting it on the table.

"We're going to talk to Dumbledore this evening. Until then, don't worry about it. Okay?" Slowly, Sirius nodded.

"Good. Now come on, we're going to fly for a bit."

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School was abuzz with news. Nearly Headless Nick and Justin Finch-Fletchley had both been Petrified, and Harry was the only one on the scene at the time. Fred and George both found this to be hilarious, and followed Harry around, calling him the 'Evil Overlord,' and causing general mischief.

Ginny was rather twitchy, though she seemed more relaxed when talking to Luna than when she was anywhere near her fellow Gryffindors.

On the train, the four Anima had drifted between deciding on what they were going to do about Jerard and discussing what could have happened with the Potion. When they got to school, however, they found that Hermione was in the Hospital Wing, covered in fur.

"I think we can assume it didn't go well." Husky muttered dryly as the seventeenth person of the day told them that Harry was Slytherin's heir and Hermione might be part werewolf. Cooro was amusing himself by alternately making up weirder rumors and telling the gossip-mongerers off for their tales.

"It's more fun when the last group can hear what I'm saying to the next," he told Neville, who had found them walking to the Tower. Neville only shook his head.

"You would find that funny." He added in a whisper, "we'll tell you what happened in your dorm later." Nana was a bit disgruntled at that; without Hermione, she was the only girl sneaking into the boy's dorm, which was frowned upon. She didn't say a word, but made a note to try and arrange a different meeting place. What was so wrong with the Common Room, anyway?

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"So, basically, you've got nothing." Husky concluded when the others finished their story. Neville snorted; he hadn't gone with them, instead playing lookout on where Crabbe and Goyle were locked up.

"Well, we know who it _wasn't, _at least. And we got that tip for my Dad, so that's something." Ron defended, but it was half-hearted. They really hadn't gotten anything, besides a lot of trouble. The only other thing worth even mentioning was that Scabbers had been disappearing often, then coming back without warning. It was odd, but not very interesting.

Their news was far better.

"Sirius is with Remus now? Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, nearly falling off the bed in his excitement.

"_And_ your parents know, so you don't have to watch your tongue as much." Harry pointed out. He'd already known about it (the photo had arrived with the Christmas gifts), but hadn't wanted to say anything, so he could talk to his parents privately for a bit first.

He was sure the others knew this, but no-one said anything. He knew he would have to get rid of it eventually, to free his parents from it or something else. But just… not yet.

He realized he'd missed most of the conversation when a single sentence interrupted his musings: "And then the puppy turned into a wise man from Tibet with a trout on his head and asked whether I knew the Beatles," Cooro concluded. The others evidentially knew what this was about, as none of them wore the expressions of confusion that Harry was sure was on his face.

"See? I told you it would get his attention!" Cooro cheered, seeing Harry staring at him in bewilderment. The others had all collapsed into various forms of laughter. Soon after, they departed for bed.

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Jerard watched the castle carefully. More attacks, on another boy and a ghost, of all things. Security was even tighter. If he wanted to get a student from here, he'd be better off waiting until the Chamber closed once again. He left again, to plan for his search in the Ministry. He could worry about a captive later.

He didn't notice that a lone pair of hazel eyes watched him from the shadows, with an arrow pointed at his chest.

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It was several weeks after Christmas, Hermione was out of the Hospital, and they were all talking to Myrtle again.

There was a perfectly good reason for this: her entire hall was flooded, and they were curious little second years, after all.

Myrtle cheered up as they entered (read: Cooro), and was almost pleasant as she told them that someone had thrown a book at her head. Harry picked it up gingerly, and revealed it was a diary.

"It's blank." Hermione thought it was cursed. Ron thought it was boring. The others were asking Myrtle other things to cheer her up, and didn't care. When they left, it was still in Harry's bag.

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There were four figures slipping into the Forest Saturday afternoon, hidden by thick rain and fog. It is the day after the disastrous Valentines Day.

"Honestly, we could have picked a better day to do this," Nana grumbled, pulling her cloak closer to herself. It was marginally warmer in the Forest, more due to the lack of rain than anything else.

"It's easier this way. The rain makes it unlikely that anyone saw us go in, and we won't be missed until dinner." Husky pointed out, sounding annoyed. Really, though, it felt more like their adventures back home than anything they'd done here, so it was a half-hearted feeling.

_On the other hand, is it really home now?_ When he tried to think of home, images of their world faded into a large warm house, and playing Quidditch in an open field.

He was broken from his musings as he stumbled on a root, nearly falling. Senri caught him at the last minute, while Nana giggled, her earlier discomfort forgotten. He glared, but didn't say anything.

Yup. Just like old times. He'd even brought his staff.

They walked further into the woods, careful not to leave their path. They didn't talk much; the Forest gave off the feeling that one should be silent within it's borders.

A crashing sound from their left startled them all, and they grouped together in a defensive stance that was so natural they barely noticed they'd done it.

A figure stepped out onto the path, and saw them. He stepped forward, revealing his face. Senri and Cooro relaxed.

"Hello Firenze. It's been a while." He looked at them solemnly.

"Little crow. What business do you have out in the woods so late, and with so many dangerous foes lurking?" Cooro's eyes shifted slightly, and he abruptly looked far older than he was.

"We come to warn you of the serpent that lurks in your nest. While the hawk Petrifies our castle, it will come upon you unawares from behind." He shook his head, as though to clear it, then continued, in a more normal tone.

"There is a man in the Forest who means harm to all that live. He plans on performing a spell no person was meant to complete. He will raise the dead." He looked plaintively at the centaur before him.

"Please, do you know anything that can help us?" The look he was given was calculating. He ignored the others, who were giving Cooro odd looks.

"There is such a man. He reeks of evil. He has watched the castle many times, but has never left the Forest borders. He has left, on occasion, to elsewhere. We are not sure of exactly where he stays, for he wards the area with spells." Cooro nodded, looking a bit disappointed. Firenze continued uninterrupted.

"He has gathered several extremely strange ingredients, such as ancromactula legs and a bowtruckle nest." He handed Cooro a rough piece of paper, with scrawls of writing over it.

"He also is accompanied often by a rat. That is all I can tell you. I must ask that you let me escort you to your castle once again." He didn't wait for an answer, and began to walk past them, leading away from the depths of the forest.

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"So what was that speech you gave Firenze, anyway?" Husky asked as they walked back up the grounds. He was a bit disappointed that their adventure hadn't been as long, but at least they had something to work with. Cooro shrugged.

"Just kinda popped out, I guess. Like a formality I learned, then forgot." Husky frowned, but he was familiar with random bits of his past falling into his speech and actions, so it was certainly possible that Cooro had done so as well.

Why he'd ever learn something like that in the first place, however, hadn't been determined.

"Now what? Should we look into it ourselves, or tell someone?" Husky frowned, taking the list from Cooro and glancing it over.

"I'm not exactly sure what we can tell them, besides the fact that he's making a Potion for the spell."

"Which implies that he already _has_ the spell." Nana pointed out.

"Which means he broke into the Ministry and took something that should be very heavily guarded."

"Or he found some forgotten copy of it somewhere, instead."

"Or the potion is entirely unrelated to this, and is for the part involving the human sacrifice." Cooro pointed out, shivering from both the cold and his own words. The others considered this, and nodded.

"Or that." Husky shook his head.

"Look, let's try and find out exactly what this potion could be. If we can't find anything soon, we'll give it to Dumbledore or Remus. Agreed?" A moment of silence.

"Agreed." They slipped into the castle, unnoticed except for a pair of twins, who wore expressions of glee. They stopped them as soon as the four were safely inside.

"Looks like our little friends were on a quest tonight."

"Might important one, by their faces."

"Shame it's against school rules."

"Mighty shame."

"We ought to report them, really."

"For their own good, of course." Husky sighed, trying to work through the various parts of his mind to find the one that understood the twins.

"If they'd like to tell us something,"

"We might not report them,"

"So long as it's good." They finished simultaneously, grinning like the Cheshire cat and his evil twin. Cooro managed a grin back at them.

"How's this? We tell you in our dorm after dinner? Less likely to get eavesdroppers, and then I can eat." The twins thought for a minute, nodding.

"But if you try and get out of it, you won't have a moments peace." George warned, before they all entered the Great Hall, hiding their cloaks in Fred's bag. The other four come in later, but after a warning look from Husky, don't ask any questions.

Later, they sit in the dorms, just the Anima and the twins. The other four are looking into something (Husky is pretty sure he heard the words 'diary' and 'Hagrid' in it somewhere), and didn't come up.

"So, what're you four so involved in?" Fred looks confused, like he can't decide whether they're serious or joking. Cooro doesn't even hesitate, and spills out the long, complicated story of their arrival, the portals, Jerard, Sirius Black and their recent visit to the Forbidden Forest.

All throughout, the twins remained silent, frowning. They then looked at each other, muttering for a moment, before looking back at them.

"That photo… do you have it?" Cooro hands it over. Husky turns to stare at him.

"Where'd you get that?" He shrugs.

"Borrowed it from Harry." George leans in to look at it, and they are startled by a voice.

"You going to stare at us all day?" They both jump, and Sirius laughs. Remus simply shakes his head. James and Lily are sleeping.

"So… all they said was true?" Remus nods.

"Every word. I trust you aren't going to blab all over the school?" The look on his face clearly says he trusts that they won't.

"Ah, come off it, Moony! They're like me' n Prongs were back then; they won't tell." Fred blinks.

"Prongs? Moony?" The men, barely that, in the photo look up.

"Yes…?" George's eyes widen.

"As in, of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs? The Marauders?" Sirius grinned happily.

"Padfoot speaking. Why, you heard of us?" Fred grins at it in disbelief. Husky wonders how they strayed so far from the topic.

"_Heard of you?_ You four,"

"Are only our idols! Do you know,"

"How much mischief,"

"You've helped create?" He pulls out an old piece of parchment, and the two in the photo lean in, staring, before looking at each other and grinning.

"_The map."_ The twins begin to ask questions, and it looks like it'll go on all night, before Husky interrupts.

"If I might ask a moment of your time, what should we do about the list we got?" Remus looks up at him. The twins and Sirius are still talking.

"Send it to me. The real me. No, that might get intercepted… here, just read it aloud. We can look for it later." Husky does so carefully, while Remus jots it down.

"This is very helpful… yes, very indeed. Though, I am going to warn you. When the real me gets wind of this, you four are in for quite a lecture." Nana scoffs.

"You think we're bad…" Luckily for the Golden Quartet's own secrets, Remus doesn't hear her, and instead tells them to get to bed. When the twins (and Sirius) protest, he shakes his head.

"You act like this is your last meeting. When I know for a fact your family is visiting over the summer." The twins grin at that, and are soon sheparded out. Cooro follows, returning a moment later without the photo. Nana leaves as he enters, bidding them goodnight.

"You stole the photo, didn't you?" Husky asks from the bed.

"Yup! But I put it back, so Harry'll never know. Now, we're going to look into the Potion as well, right? Cause I'd hate to just hand over our hard work to someone else." Senri nods from where he is changing.

"Can't let them have all the fun, can we?"

_Yeah, I wasted a lot of pages to say very little. I know. On the other hand, most of the little details I've been stressing over have been pounded out, so…well, you lot won't notice a difference, but it'll be easier on me, anyway. Happy last days of summer._


	20. Chapter 20

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Twenty**

Whatever had been bothering the other four about Hagrid and the diary hadn't been resolved come next morning. They were all withdrawn and worried, glancing at each other with odd expressions. The Anima didn't want to ask about it, but Nana finally cornered Hermione.

Hermione looked sad and confused, like she'd received bad news she couldn't quite believe.

"The diary… it was enchanted. It showed Tom Riddle catching Hagrid with a large spider. He was expelled for it. They thought it was the monster in the chamber." Nana vaguely recalled hearing the name before.

"Who's Tom Riddle?"

"A student from Hagrid's year. He got an award from the school that year." Nana thought about it, and remembered that it had been Ron talking about it, because he'd had to clean it for detention, and kept burping up slugs.

"Well, that's ridiculous. If the monster was a giant spider, the smaller ones wouldn't be running away. Besides, the only spiders are in the Forest, and you'd think _someone_ would have noticed that." Hermione blinked. Nana could almost see the cogs in her mind working, processing the information carefully.

"That… that's right! It was something else! Oh, I should tell the others… Thanks, Nana!" She gave her a hug, and ran off.

"What was that about?" Nana jumped, turning to see Husky standing in an alcove just behind her. She explained briefly what Harry had seen. Husky raised a brow as they began to walk to class.

"If that's true, Hagrid might know who it was. If they're going to look into that, they should ask him." Nana frowned.

"Wouldn't he have said something, if he did know? That's not something I'd keep quiet."

"Neither would I, but if the attacks stopped, it would cast enough doubt on him that most people would just think he was covering for himself." They reached McGonagall's room, and walked in. Harry, Ron and Neville were all looking relieved. Neville was whispering in Cooro's ear, with Senri leaning in to listen as well.

Before either of them could say anything more, McGonagall walked in, and began to speak of animal to animal transformations.

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Sirius examined the list they'd been given carefully. The children had gotten it from Firenze, one of the centaurs in the Forest. He applauded them for it, but Remus was annoyed that they'd been so reckless.

"Honestly, there's all the regular things in the Forest, _plus_ this Death Eater looking to capture a witch or wizard, _and_ the Chamber's open as well? They might as well have tickled a dragon, for all the thought they put into safety." For all that, Sirius knew he was secretly proud.

"You sound like Molly, you know. All motherly and stuff," he pointed out dryly from the couch. He had another book this time, one that gave the various functions of potions ingredients. He hoped to find what the potion was for from this.

Remus rounded on him with an odd expression. A mix of amusement and annoyance, if Sirius had to guess.

"Are you calling me a woman?" Sirius grinned.

"Why yes, I believe I am." He barely finished the sentence before Remus tackled him to the ground, tossing the book out of the way. He held his hands up.

"Then lets see who squeals." Sirius' eyes widened.

"What are you… no, stop… don't!" Remus ignored him, intent on his task. Sirius squirmed. Finally…

"I give! You're not a woman! Now stop tickling me!" Remus sat back, grinning, before getting up. Sirius dove forward, yanking his ankle, and pulled him to the ground, rolling so he was on top.

"Now it's my turn…"

When they arrived at Dumbledore's office twenty minutes later, both were red-faced and disheveled. He raised a brow, but said nothing about it.

"So, you have a list of things this Jerard has collected?" Remus stepped forward, holding out a copy of the list. They'd left the original at home, to look at later.

"Yes, sir. Straight from the centaurs." Dumbledore looked it over, his face not betraying the slightest emotion.

"And how did you two come across them?" Now, Remus and Sirius were fairly responsible adults. Remus had a house and a job (free-lance curse and code breaking, plus a part-time at a bookstore), and Sirius had gone through Azkaban. They were also, however, young, and they'd been some of the top pranksters in the school. So the inclination to lie about where they got information, particularly if it came from a third source, was still there, and Sirius acted upon it.

"I visited them a few nights ago, before you got all that rain. Been trying to find what it was since then. Sorry we didn't tell you right away." Remus didn't let anything but slight apology show on his face. It was an act they'd perfected throughout school; he just hoped he wasn't out of practice.

Apparently, he wasn't, or Dumbledore was oblivious, as he only shook his head slightly and continued to read down the list.

"Very strange… and you think that this is for the portal spell?" They nodded.

"I will look into it, and the records at the Ministry. I do _not_," he gazed at them dis-trustingly, "want to hear of a break-in. Understand?" More nods, and then they left.

"That was an odd way of putting it…" Sirius noted as they arrived back at the house. "He doesn't want to hear about it? That's like saying 'don't get caught.'" Abruptly, he caught Remus' gaze, and they both grinned.

"Okay, Professor. We won't."

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Kingsley Shacklebolt, leader of the Sirius Black hunt, was rather confused. They'd received many tips, reported sightings, and magical evidence that Black was in Russia. That had been months ago. Now, they weren't getting anything. It was like he'd fallen off the face of the earth.

He was so distracted he didn't see the older man until he literally crashed into him.

"Oh! Terribly sorry, I was distracted." He helped the other man up, not recognizing him. The man grinned at him.

"No problem. Have a good day." He walked off, and after a few minutes, Kingsley wouldn't even remember the encounter.

Sirius shook himself off carefully, reminding himself that he didn't look a thing like a wanted fugitive. He slipped down the hallway to where the old courtrooms were. The plan was to wait there until it was late. The Ministry recorded people coming in, but not those leaving. He would signal Remus if he needed him.

Remus hadn't liked the idea of him going alone into the very place that was looking for him. Sirius had used everything he had to convince him.

"Besides, you have a job. They'll notice you missing. And I'll be wearing a disguise. Nothing can go wrong!" He tried to be optimistic. Remus groaned.

"Except everything! I can't lose you again, Sirius." He sighed, looking at him carefully.

"Be safe." Now he was to wait. At least it was already rather late; he wouldn't be here long.

Voices interrupted his musings, and he dove behind some seats in the back of the room just as the door opened and two figures walked in, one lighting the torches as the door closed again.

They both wore cloaks, and one pushed it off his face to reveal someone about his age, perhaps older. He looked rather annoyed.

"You cannot simply go into hiding now!" The other figure didn't remove his cloak, and said something so quietly that Sirius couldn't hear him. The other could, though.

"I'd think that with 'him' hunting you down, you would be more helpful in reawakening the Master." Sirius twitched. This was the man they were looking for!

The other muttered again, and the first, apparently Jerard, laughed.

"You have nothing! Nothing to show for you so-called 'dedication!' No, that will not be good enough, Wormtail." He continued to speak, but Sirius didn't register it. He was having an inner struggle.

_Just get them! They're right there! End this!_ Another voice, which sounded like Moony, spoke up.

_There may be more, and then they'll know we're on to them. _

_But it's Wormtail! He must die! _Sirius agreed, but the other voice didn't.

_And what if it's not really him, but a copy? One for communicating only? You'll be caught, and then where will we all be? Nowhere._ This voice had the same logic as Moony. Just a bit too deep for Sirius to really understand.

The men were leaving now, and Sirius, ignoring the second voice, began to follow. Just before he attacked, the little voice made one last attempt.

_Wait! Just follow them. Maybe they'll lead you to the records._ He paused, and it took advantage if it.

_Moony told you to be careful. _He groaned silently, and followed the two cloaked figures, casting a Disillusionment spell as he walked. In the dark corridor, it should be enough.

One of the men, Pettigrew, stopped at the stairs, and Sirius, in a fit of inspiration, cast a tracking spell.

Neither noticed, and Peter Apparated away a moment later. He sighed with relief that he'd gotten him, at least, and followed the other man.

It was late, far later than he'd thought it was, and nobody was around. Perhaps the lower levels emptied first? He shook his head, following the man through several passages. He apparently knew where he was going, as a few minutes later they appeared in the Veil room. Sirius winced, trying to ignore the whispering.

While he was distracted, Jerard had reached a stone bench, and lifted up the top. It was hollow, and inside was a book. Carefully, he pulled it out, only for it to shoot back into it's hiding place immediately. He muttered under his breath, then reached in again, tapping it with his wand a the same time.

This time, the book came completely out. Sirius wanted to go forward and get this man, but then some of what had been said during his inner musings came through.

"… _he is somewhere in Romania. Seek him out and bring him back here. We need part of the body or soul for this spell to succeed." _Which meant that the root of all this was Voldemort himself. To completely end it, they needed to destroy everything that remained of him.

He sighed. His inner Moony took control too often. He'd have to do something irresponsible and possibly dangerous to even it out. He saw Jerard begin to pack the stone away, and cast another tracking spell. Jerard Disapparated, and he ran to where he'd been, lifting the stone.

The book was still there. He frowned, picking it up. The moment he did, it went back to its place. He shrugged, made a replica of it, and took it out. This time, it came out easily, and he Apparated home before the temptation to follow Jerard or Pettigrew grew to be too strong.

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It was April now. Spring was coming, and it felt like there was nothing wrong with the world.

_Well, except for the creature in the Chamber, whoever controls it, Voldemort and his followers, the portal mess, exams and the fact that the people in the Hospital Wing are still Petrified._ Husky thought absently as he waved his wand, bubbles floating out and across the Common Room, where a few first years saw them and giggled. Ginny was among them. She looked far better than she had earlier in the year.

Sirius and Remus had found the records, though Husky wasn't sure they'd told Dumbledore yet. They'd narrowed down what spell to use to two in the book, both of which were lengthy and complicated.

"In other words, we have time, and the element of surprise on our sides." Sirius said optimistically.

Jerard's tracking spell had shown he spent all of his time in the Forest, though whether he was hiding or gathering ingredients was undetermined. Pettigrew was traveling to Romania. Dumbledore tracked his progress himself.

Nothing much had happened, except Scabbers had gone missing again. This time, he hadn't returned. It had been several weeks, and Ron was beginning to think the Chamber's beast had gotten him.

"At least it was probably quick, right?" He'd said, mostly to himself. The others had nodded.

Easter had come and gone, with very little besides a few days off to show it's passage. They'd chosen their classes for the next year, of course. Oh, and Harry's dorm had been looted. There was nothing missing, he said, except for the diary that had caused the suspicion with Hagrid.

Husky was partially glad it was gone; something about the thing gave him the creeps.

The day of the Quidditch match, Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff, Harry heard the voice again. Nobody else had (Nana swore up and down she'd heard hissing), and Hermione's eyes abruptly widened.

"I think I know what it is! Oh, I'll be right back!" She ran off in the direction of the library. Ron and Harry, who'd heard her do this several times, went off to the field, followed by everyone except Senri and Cooro.

"I'm going with her. If Harry heard it again, then she might be in danger." Senri didn't say anything, merely following as he walked in the direction of the library.

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The match was cancelled, and the five children were lead to the Hospital Wing, where Hermione lay Petrified, along with Penelope Clearwater.

"She was found in the library, holding a mirror. Miss Clearwater was found with her." McGonagall looked at them sadly, then lead them all to the Common Room, where she read the list of new rules.

In the midst of this chaos, with their dinner being brought up to the Common Room and the new rules causing protests from various students, it wasn't until far later that Husky finally noticed something.

"Where are Cooro and Senri?"


	21. Chapter 21

**A Snake in the Nest, Chapter Twenty One**

Cooro groaned, sitting up. He opened his eyes, only to find that he couldn't see. He panicked, flailing and scrabbling at his eyes, but found he couldn't reach them. Finally, something touched his back, and he calmed. It was Senri, he could tell from the scent.

That was when he realized he was wearing a blindfold, and that his hands were bound. He hadn't gone blind.

"Senri..?" There was no answer. Perhaps Senri wasn't awake yet. He tried to feel around, or at least loosen the ties, but was unsuccessful. All he could tell was that the floor was stone, which didn't help much.

Then the sound of footsteps reached his ears, and he flopped backwards onto the ground, feeling himself hit Senri and apologizing silently. The steps went past him entirely, and he relaxed.

He hoped Hermione was okay; it was obvious he and Senri weren't.

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Husky paced anxiously, wanting to go out and tell McGonagall, but he was held back by Harry and Fred, who both thought that him going out would be suicidal.

"We can't just _sit _here! We should be looking for them." Nana glanced out the window, back at them, then walked over. They didn't notice, and she called out before leaving,

"I'll be right back." Husky's head snapped in her direction.

"Nana!" But she was already gone, feeling the wind in her hair with relish. She flew to where Dumbledore's window was, not bothering to find a different entrance, and knocked loudly.

Twelve minutes later, she was sitting between several teachers and Remus Lupin. Sirius had had to stay behind, for obvious reasons. Remus had whispered that he was checking the tracking spells on Jerard and Peter.

"Nobody has seen them since this afternoon? Why didn't you say so sooner?" Snape looked at her disdainfully, as though it was her fault entirely. She glared back at him, not bothering to be respectful.

"Because first of all, we thought they were with Hermione. After that, there was the slight distraction of _another bloody attack._ Sorry that we can't focus on twelve things at once." Inside, her stomach turned. If they'd been paying more attention, would it have happened?

She zoned out as the teachers discussed the issue, only coming out of her trance when Remus half-picked her up.

"You should go to bed. There's nothing you can do right now. Come on, let's go." he lead her out of the room. Snape glared. As soon as they were out, she began to lead Remus, in an entirely different direction.

"Nana, we have to go to the Tower." She ignored him, instead slipping into the room they'd arrived at. It was the Hospital Wing. She went straight to Hermione's bed, and took her hand, pulling at the fingers.

"What are you doing?" Remus looked around, seeing the other victims and wincing. He'd never heard of something like this.

"I saw something in her hands when we came earlier. Oblivious as they are, the boys didn't see it, and we had no time to stop and talk. I got it!" She waved a piece of paper in the air triumphantly. He glanced at it.

"Right. That's a page from a book. She was probably holding it at the time." Nana looked at it.

"But-"

"But nothing! Look, if it is something, you can look later, but right now, I need to get you to the Tower. I don't know what it is that's attacking people. I don't want you to get hurt. Now, move." He took her unoccupied hand and took her back to the Common Room.

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Jerard was annoyed. He'd heard the attack while stealing food from the kitchens, and realized that the likely hood of him getting anywhere near the castle after that was practically none. So he'd grabbed the first student to pass his hiding place, only to have another come at him.

Now, he had two of them in his home, and no way to get rid of them until the spell was complete. Which meant he needed Wormtail to get back. Soon.

He could kill one, he supposed, but two sacrifices were worth more than one. If he could keep them both alive long enough, then the Dark Lord would be even more powerful.

He took out his wand, to spell them into sleep until he was ready, and noticed something odd about his sleeve as he moved. A tiny glowing point, almost like…

"Damn!" He ripped the robes off, lighting them on fire immediately. How had he not noticed he had a tracking spell on him? He scowled, running over everywhere he could have picked one up as he cleaned up the flaming mess and looking over himself and his things.

The Ministry, perhaps? A protection on the records he found? Regardless, if he'd been traced, he would need to find a new place to hide.

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Nana stared at the ceiling, too wired and worried to sleep. The boys had already gone to bed when she returned. In fact, nobody was even in the Common Room when the Fat Lady grudgingly opened up.

The paper was from a book. It was information on the basilisk. On the bottom, Hermione had written simply 'pipes.'

_If that's what it is, then we need to tell everyone. Now. But I can't leave again tonight._ She thought of Remus' earlier dismissal and scowled. Fine, maybe she wouldn't tell him.

She knew he had her best interests at heart, but it was rather annoying to be treated as a child. Even if she was one.

Abruptly, she stood up, walking to the door. Outside, she could hear several things.

Someone was sneaking down the stairs. She ignored it; after investigating this several times, she had gotten tired of finding couples snogging on the couches.

A few people, three, were making their way up the boys stairs. It was Harry, Ron and Neville. She went out and cornered them. All three looked scared, nervous and beat-to-crud. She held up a hand before they could speak.

"Look, I know you've been out, I know you probably know something about what's happening with Hermione and the others, and I don't care. I'm going to focus on Senri and Cooro. Here," she handed them the page.

"Hermione had it in her hand. You can tell the teachers, look into it, whatever. Just don't get in my way when we go to find the others. Got it?" Harry frowned.

"Why? You're not going to let us help find them?" She gave him an odd smile, one that was far older than she had any right to be.

"Some things you just have to do for yourself. This is something Husky and I are going to do ourselves." Ron scowled at her.

"You're just leaving Hermione like that?" She looked at him carefully.

"Hermione is alive. I want to make sure the others stay like that. Good night." She left, and the three boys shared an odd look.

"Sometimes I forget they're not from here." Neville noted as they walked up to their dorm.

"Back in their world, I suppose they're used to doing things by themselves." Harry came to a decision.

"We'll tell the teachers tomorrow. First, though, I want to talk to Myrtle about how she died."

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McGonagall couldn't understand what went wrong. Despite all the students being locked in their rooms, teachers patrolling every corridor and wards all around the school, they still couldn't find Cooro and Senri. Not only that, but another student had been taken into the Chamber itself!

Lockhart was sent to retrieve her, to get him out of their hair, and now she finds that three _more_ students are missing. Ron, Harry and Neville. She knew that they ahd gone after Ginny, Ron's sister.

The only question was where had they gone? Nobody knew how to get into the Chamber! Nobody even knew where it _was!_ And Lockhart was found to be missing, his room half packed, apparently for a departure.

She went to Dumbledore's office, knowing that she now had to break the news to the Weasley's that they had lost two children.

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The moment Husky woke up, he felt the wrongness of the room. Sitting up, he saw it was very late, nearly afternoon, and that the room was empty. The loss hit him then, and he almost cried.

A knock sounded on the door, and he slowly got up to get it. Nana stood there, looking grim. He stared.

"The other three have gone into the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny's been brought inside. Come on." She shoved him back into the room, and began to rummage around.

"What are you doing?" He asked, pulling on his clothes and finding his wand. She popped up from behind Cooro's bed. In her hand was the photo. The occupants were asleep.

"You and I both know that Cooro and Senri were kidnapped by Jerard. He has to take them to the Ministry for the spell to work, and it has to happen the moment the sun sets." At his puzzled look, she shrugged.

"One of the ingredients only works at dusk. Anyway, if we get there first, we can mess up the spell and get Cooro and Senri back."

"And why aren't we telling some adults about this? I know they don't seem to like listening to us, but still…." She held up the photo.

"That's what this is for. We'll call them when the time comes. Right now, they're distracted by the Chamber." Husky followed her as she slipped out of the room. She pulled out a bag as they neared the fireplace in the Common Room.

"Aren't you worried about them?" She rounded on him, eyes blazing.

"Of course I am! Do you know how hard it was to let them leave this morning? To lay there and knowingly let them go like that? We don't even know who's controlling that thing!" She stopped, realizing how loud she'd gotten, and continued a bit quieter.

"But that's their choice. They could have gone to the teachers, and we can ask why they didn't later. But right now, Cooro and Senri are in danger as well, and we _can _do something about it. I'll be damned if we don't. Now come on, we're Flooing in." She pulled out a pinch of powder from the bag. He decided not to ask where she'd gotten it.

"Won't people notice us there, in the Ministry?" She shook her head.

"Sunday. Nobody's required in today. Mr. Weasley said so on Boxing Day." She tossed a pinch in, called out "Ministry of Magic," handed over the bag, and walked through. He groaned, and followed.

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Cooro felt like he was floating. He tried to focus on where he was, but couldn't concentrate. What did he last remember?

"_Cooro!" Hermione was running towards them, a mirror in her hands. The owner of it seemed to be following her. She looked vaguely familiar to him._

"_I figured out what's in the Chamber! It's a basilisk! That's why Harry can hear it; it's a snake. Come one, we've got to find Dumbledore!" She hurried to a corner, and used the mirror to look around it._

"_Why're you doing that, 'Mione?" She glanced back at him._

"_If you look it in the eyes, you die. In the mirror, we'll only be Petrified." She looked again, and froze._

"_Hermione?" He stepped forward, but the other girl got there first. She glanced at the mirror, and froze as well. Cooro panicked, running forward, but Senri caught his waist._

"_It's right around the corner. Stay still." He waited a few moments, then released him. Cooro bolted forward, to where the girls stood._

"_Hermione? Hermione! Come on, wake up!" He shook her. Senri came up._

"_Petrified." Cooro turned back to him, eyes wide._

"_I'll go get help! You stay here and make sure they're okay!" Before Senri could respond, he ran off, passing an alcove as he did so. Then it was darkness._

That's right… Hermione was Petrified. She knew what it was…Cooro struggled against the darkness, trying to get out.

He broke through, gasping, to find himself tied up, lying in front of a marble arch with a veil fluttering in it. He remembered it's use, and tried to scoot away, only to find he couldn't move.

There was chanting, coming from just outside his view, and the feel of magic swept over him.

But it felt wrong. He wanted to gag. Staring at the ceiling, he realized he could hear two voices chanting, and the smell of a potion leaked through the room. It smelled foul.

There was a large splash, and a light thud as something was thrown into the potion, something that made the smell grow to the point where he couldn't breath.

After a moment, all went dark again.

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Husky and Nana ran to the elevator, looking briefly at the directory to see where the Department of Mysteries was. The lift moved incredibly slow, though it made no stops before reaching their floor.

At the end of the corridor, there was a door. They entered, into a round room that span the moment the door closed. Nana blinked, looking at him.

"Now what?" She looked all over, trying to see which door to take. He opened one, she opened another. He was about to close the one he had and look in another when she whispered, "I hear voices coming from this way!" They both ran through the doorway, letting it click silently closed behind them.

Husky watched as she listened this way and that, using her bat ears. He checked his watch.

"We only have an hour. Where did all that time go?" She stared at him, then his watch, looking terrified.

"I'll call them now." She pulled out the photo, where Remus and Sirius both sat watching them. James and Lily were there as well, but distracted. They obviously knew where Harry was.

"Remus, Sirius. We're in the Department of Mysteries. The spell is being performed in the next room over. You have to _hurry."_ As both adults ran to the other photo, James stared at them.

"Is your entire year mad? My son and two others are fighting in the Chamber of Secrets, and you two immediately run off on a rescue mission in the Ministry?" Nana looked down at him.

"What else can we do?" He didn't answer. Two cracks filled the room, and Remus and Sirius were abruptly there. They were soon followed by Dumbledore and McGonagall, both looking grim and determined. Without a word, they ran into the next room. Remus was still there, though.

"You two are to come with me. Now." Nana looked at him, before bolting into the next room. Husky followed, right behind Remus.

Nana flew into the air, looking through the darkness for the man. He was surrounded by protection spells, standing on the stone slab in the center of the room. He seemed to be finishing the spell, as he threw the final ingredient into the cauldron.

Wormtail stood next to him, holding an unconscious Cooro. Senri was lying outside the spells, and Sirius was dragging him to another man, casting spells at the barriers as he did so.

Pettigrew pulled out a knife, and swiftly cut off Cooro's finger, tossing it into the potion. He nicked his finger as well, and some of the blood went in.

Cooro woke with a scream.

Nana let one out as well, loud and shrill. It gradually rose until nobody could even hear it.

Except for Jerard, who was covering his ears and screaming as well. He collapsed, and the barrier began to fade. Quickly, Pettigrew shoved Cooro towards the Veil. Cooro latched onto his arm. They began to struggle, and Sirius neared the barrier, as close as he could. It disappeared, and he dove at them, just as Cooro seemed to lose strength.

He began to fall, and Peter shoved him back to the Veil.

"Oh no you don't!" Sirius barreled into Wormtail, wand forgotten, knocking them both towards the Veil. Pettigrew grabbed hold of Cooro, trying to regain stability, but it was too late. All three went through.

"Cooro!"

"_Sirius!" _There was screaming from all around, but it was lost as the potion exploded, shrouding them all in darkness. When it cleared, there was a man standing there, holding a wand already and smiling evilly at them.

"How nice to see you all again." The man grabbed Jerard's arm and Apparated away. Dumbledore ran forward, in vain hopes of grabbing the man, but missed him by a mile, and he stopped, shoulders drooping and eyes downcast.

The only sounds were Nana's wails and the vague whispering from behind the Veil.

_Next story is The Bonds that Tie. Just so you all know._


End file.
